The Huntsville Association of Small Businesses in Advanced Technology (HASBAT) is an association of approximately 70 Huntsville-area small businesses in advanced technology. A non-profit organization, it serves the needs and represent the interests of its members. By combining the efforts of many small high-tech firms, the voice of small business will be strong, and will be heard. That’s what HASBAT is all about.

HASBAT offers small companies the chance to keep abreast of the latest business opportunities and developments at NASA, AMCOM, SMDC, DOT, and others through monthly luncheon meetings. This also provides company executives with the chance to meet and talk with prominent speakers and experts in the high-tech field. Networking, new business opportunities, and legislative influence are other benefits of belonging to HASBAT.

HASBAT employs a variety of strategies to meet its goals:

• Promotes increased small business participation in high technology contracts bat AMCOM, MSFC, SMDC, and the Corps of Engineers

• Promotes increased small business subcontracting plan goals by prime contractors at AMCOM, MSFC, SMDC, and the Corps of Engineers, and encourages achievement of those plan goals during contract performance

• Provides a means for the exchange of capabilities information among member companies

• Serves as a point of contact for promoting high technology small business opportunities, issues, legislation, regulations, and communications.

• Improves community awareness of the capabilities of the Huntsville-area high technology small business

For more information about HASBAT, visit the web site at www.hasbat.org, e-mail amy@hasbat.org, or call (256) 830-1939.

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The National Contract Management Association (NCMA) was formed in 1959 with the vision to lead and represent the contract management profession. It currently consists of over 17,000 members worldwide. The leadership is comprised of volunteer elected officers. NCMA exists to establish values, develop best practices, assess individual organizational competency against professional standards, and enable the contract management workforce to grow professionally.

At the national headquarters in Virginia, NCMA maintains a core group to provide locally chartered chapters the resources they need to implement the organization’s vision. In addition to providing educational resource materials for the chapters, NCMA sponsors the annual World Congress. This offers the membership an opportunity to gather and discuss the issues facing the profession. NCMA also conducts leadership conferences around the country to help chapters grow and prosper. A cornerstone of NCMA is its magazine, Contract Management. Published monthly and mailed to each member, the magazine provides all the latest news relative to the contracts profession, as well as a forum for discussion of current issues and trends. Finally, NCMA headquarters promotes and administers a certification program that allows members to earn professional designations that are recognized and respected throughout the industry.

At the local level, the Huntsville Chapter of NCMA consists of over 400 members from government and industry. The Huntsville Chapter has enjoyed success through the years as evidenced by the number of awards it has received. In 2004, the Huntsville Chapter earned "gold" status, the highest rating a chapter can achieve. The focus is to provide affordable, timely training opportunities to the local contract management community. The Huntsville Chapter sponsors networking events such as its monthly luncheons, and its members participate in many local community projects. To find out more about NCMA, visit the headquarters web site at www.ncmahq.org, or the Huntsville Chapter web site at www.ncmahsv.org.

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The Army Space and Missile Defense Association (ASMDA) is a non-profit organization promoting the defense of the nation through strong space and missile defense programs. ASMDA’s fundamental purpose is to provide programs and support for activities contributing to the advancement of a common understanding of the vital importance of space and missile defense systems to national defense.  

The Army Space and Missile Defense Association was formed in 1995 in Huntsville, Alabama, as a non-profit, non-political, educational, and scientific organization designed to primarily support Department of Defense organizations located in Huntsville and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Specific support is currently provided to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC), Program Executive Office for Missile and Space (PEO-MS), and the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office (GMD JPO). ASMDA offers both individual and corporate memberships with current membership of over fifty corporations and five hundred individual memberships.

ASMDA Objectives include: To foster communications and relationships between government activities with responsibilities for or interests in Army space and missile defense and supporting industries; To provide an industry forum that can be used for organizing and promoting areas of common interest; To provide an effective, single point of broad industry and government contact; To provide an organization that can professionally benefit the missile defense industry and foster community and civic interests and goals.

In addition to the Annual Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition, each year ASMDA supports, sponsors, or conducts a wide array of activities including fifteen Space Camp Scholarships; the Space and Missile Defense Distinguished Civilians Wall located in the SMDC lobby on Redstone Arsenal; Space and Missile Defense Technical Achievement and Service Excellence Awards; ASMDA "Loretta Spencer" Under-graduate / Post-graduate Scholarships; Adventures in Engineering Day (promoting high school students’ interest in science and engineering); SMDC’s participation in the Army Ten Miler; the SMDC NCO and Soldier of the Year; Huntsville’s Veterans Day Parade Band Competition; the Blue Star Banner Program; North Alabama’s "Operation Christmas Bear" for children of deployed military members; and numerous seminars, workshops, and symposia on leading space and missile defense issues with top level civilian and military leaders.

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Chapter Overview: The Tennessee Valley Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA TVC) Representing North Alabama, Southern Tennessee and Eastern Mississippi.

The Tennessee Valley Chapter actively supports the National Defense industry in a region that includes locations in Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, the chapter supports the industrial base for the U.S. Army (USA) Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM); USA Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC); Missile Defense Agency (MDA); Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA); Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC); Corps of Engineers Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville; USA Program Executive Office for Aviation; USA Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space; and Redstone Arsenal garrison and tenant organizations.

The NDIA TVC serves its members (individual and corporate) with a variety of functions and events, tailored to accomplish local chapter and the Association missions. The Chapter sponsors a minimum of four dinner meetings each year, co-sponsors a number of conferences and exhibitions, and participates in various community activities. These events showcase NDIA, the local defense industrial base, and advance the understanding of national security issues.

Each year the Chapter conducts a number of events including an Awards Dinner honoring both government and industry leaders. The Medaris Award is presented annually to an individual from the Tennessee Valley who has made an outstanding contribution to the defense industrial base. A book scholarship is awarded to two universities for undergraduate students and fellowships are awarded to five to six students conducting graduate-level work in space and missile defense at universities or colleges within the Tennessee Valley region. The Chapter’s overall awards program includes financial support and scholarships that support technical pursuits literally from kindergarten through the post-graduate level, as well as recognition of other individuals who have furthered National Defense interests in the local area.

The Chapter co-sponsors many meetings and exhibits throughout the year focused on educating the defense industry, the community and its members. Each year the chapter co-sponsors the Technological Excellence in Aviation, Missiles and Space (TEAMS) Week, the Southeastern Software Engineering (SE)2 Conference, the Army Space and Missile Defense (SMD) Conference, the Army Worldwide Ordnance and Test Measurements, and Diagnostic Equipment Conference (WOTC), and Adventures in Engineering. The Chapter sponsors educational seminars throughout the year including an Overview of System Acquisition Management (OSAM). In 2004, the chapter instituted an Industry Update Program to provide a forum for the education of members in defense and national security subjects that affect the defense industrial base. It also sponsor events that focus on providing information and provoking thought on current issues affecting the Defense Industrial Base, such as Defense Funding, Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), Defense Transformation, and Advances in Technology.

The NDIA TVC sponsors a Space and Missile Defense Working Group, a subordinate organization that focuses on addressing space and missile defense issues considered critical to the security and defense of the United States. The current membership is 1300 strong with 37 local Corporate Sponsors. Joint events are co-sponsored with the affiliate chapter of the Women in Defense and other professional associations in the Tennessee Valley. For more information, visit the web site at www.ndia-tvc.org/.

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Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition in its Eighth Successful Year

The nationally respected Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition will take place August 15-18, 2005 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL in its eighth annual celebration. "Weaving the Fabric of Global Security—the Technology Threads" is this year’s theme.

This year’s conference will include military, government, academia, and industry presenters to provide the latest information on global security issues, space enablers, and the evolution of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. In addition to conference speakers, there will also be afternoon breakout sessions, allowing for more discussion on specific topics of interest.

Invited speakers include Gen. James Cartwright, Commanding General, U.S. Strategic Command; Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III, Director, Missile Defense Agency; Lt. Gen. Larry Dodgen, Commanding General, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; and Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency.

Besides the line-up of impressive presentations, the SMD Conference offers an extensive amount of exhibits and hands-on learning experiences. Each year since its conception, the conference has grown in both attendance and the number of exhibits. With displays scheduled to fill the entire VBC, there will be a plethora of new concepts and devices showcased.

Exhibits are free to the general public. Visiting these exhibits is an opportunity for the people of this community and those traveling from outside of Huntsville to understand how important the North Alabama area is to the defense of this nation. Besides bringing together people from across the country to focus on space and missile defense, the conference is also beneficial to the community because it boosts the local economy and showcases the capabilities that exist in Huntsville. In addition, almost all of the conference proceeds are put back into the community through supported activities designed by the sponsoring organizations to promote science and engineering.

The Air Defense Artillery Association supports soldiers and retirees through the museum and other programs. The Army Space and Missile Defense Association (ASMDA) provides programs and support for activities that highlight the importance of space and missile defense systems to our national defense. These activities include space camp scholarships, collegiate scholarships, and an Adventure in Engineering Day for high school students. The Tennessee Valley Chapter of NDIA (the National Defense Industrial Association) and its Space and Missile Defense Working Group (SMDWG) sponsor a variety of conferences and educational seminars to educate and unify the community and the defense industry.

In 1997 when an employee at the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command approached NDIA and the SMDWG about arranging a technology conference, the future of this successful endeavor could not have been predicted. With each year comes new success for the local supporters who run the conference. The eighth annual SMD Conference will be even more spectacular than past conferences. The conference creates a grand opportunity for local residents and visiting attendees to stay informed on the developing technologies in the space and missile defense arena nationally and within the Huntsville community.

For more information, visit the web site at www.smdconf.org or call (256) 533-6986.

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How Brand New Small Businesses can do Better Business with the Government

Contract work for the government can be rewarding, but specific guidelines and rules must be followed to be successful. Mark Lumer, principal assistant responsible for contracting for the United States Army Space and Missile Command (SMDC), provides would-be government contractors with information that can assist them in improving their opportunities and performance when contracting with the government.

Mr. Lumer is a nationally known expert and author in the field of government contracting and has received many awards. He is listed in several editions of Who’s Who, including the 1995 and 1996 editions of Who’s Who in the World. The U. S. Army awarded him the Meritorious Civilian Service medal, the Superior Civilian Service medal, and the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service twice.

As the Army Policy Representative on the Defense Acquisition Regulations (DAR) Council for four years, Mr. Lumer established the Army’ s position on revisions and changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS). He also served as the acting Director, Army Procurement Policy in the office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army immediately before joining SMDC.

According to Mr. Lumer, the experience base in government contracting is shifting from the government to industry. Because many government-contracting personnel are retiring, industry will have to know the rules and will also have to train new government-contracting personnel. Mr. Lumer provides five critical points a brand new small business must focus on to be successful in doing business with the Government.

1. Register with the government’s Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and follow all appropriate procedural steps. (www.ccr.gov/); 2. Contact the Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Office (SADBU) at the appropriate government agency (www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/); 3. Take advantage of all existing socioeconomic programs that help small businesses: Service Disabled Vets, Women Owned, Hub Zone, Small Business set-asides, Black Historical Colleges, Other set-aside programs currently being tested; 4. Obtain security clearances for individuals and facilities prior to submitting an offer. Do not submit an offer on a contract if your business does not have the appropriate security clearances. Currently, there is a one to one-and-a-half-year application backlog; 5. Networking is essential to successful contracting with the government. The importance of face-to-face contact cannot be emphasized enough.

Government contracting is totally different from commercial contracting. FAR and DFARS documents are "critical bibles" for doing business with the government. Eighty-five percent of what a business would need to get started is found in these documents. Small businesses MUST understand both documents. These documents are available for free at FAR: http://205.130.237.11/far/ and DFARS: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/dars/dfars/index.htm. Every word and piece of punctuation has significance in the FAR and DFARS. However, contractors do not totally read FARS, DFARS, and government contract solicitations. More than 600 laws govern the relationship and conduct of a contractor. Violation of these laws, even unintentionally, may result in criminal penalties under Title 18 of the U.S. Code. Contractors should understand what they are getting into.

Businesses are encouraged to submit a contracting question to our Who’s Who in Huntsville Technology web site (www.whoswhointechnology.com). Mark Lumer will select and answer two important questions. The questions and answers will be posted on the web site.

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