Center Events
New Directions in Federal Spending & Contracting
New Priorities in Federal Spending: Session 1, April 15, 2021, 1:00 to 3:00 pm EST
On April 15, 2021, the Center will host a webinar on the topic, "New Priorities in Federal Spending." This will be the first in a three-part Webinar Series that will focus on the customer service environment for government and business.
The discussion will be followed by a Virtual Networking session for all webinar attendees.
Registration is free. We have an exciting group of speakers. The discussion topic is wide-ranging. Please visit the links above for complete information and to register.
The Center gratefully acknowledges the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority as the Title Sponsor for this Webinar Series.
Measuring R&D Productivity — Perspectives on Trends and Policies
April 22, 2021, 12:00 to 1:00 pm EST
R&D is an easy target for cuts when firms face pressure from quarterly earnings. One problem is that firms don't have a metric to benchmark their R&D productivity. Professor Anne Marie Knott, affiliate faculty member for George Mason's Center for Government Contracting, has developed such a metric, the Research Quotient (RQ), which uses financial data to isolate the effect of R&D spending on revenue growth. While she finds a worrisome trend that R&D productivity has declined a staggering 65% over the past half-century, Anne Marie presents several insightful actions that can reverse the trend.
What does all this mean for Defense & Aerospace firms and their Independent Research & Development (IRAD) spending? How is the business of government different than the commercial sector? Can firms drive more value not just for their shareholders, but for the taxpayer and the national security?
Please join Wharton Aerospace and George Mason University for an exciting discussion on IRAD policies and practices designed to jump-start military innovation. Panelists Anne Marie Knott, Kevin Fahey, and Byron Callan will unpack the challenges of measuring R&D productivity, the RQ metric, and if/how it may apply to the national security sector.
Background Information
- The Trillion-Dollar R&D Fix – Harvard Business Review
- Podcast: How Innovation Really Works with Anne Marie Knott
- DoD Policy for Oversight of Independent Research and Development (IR&D)
Welcome
 | Jerry McGinn, Ph.D.Executive Director |
Panel
 | Ellen Chang, ModeratorWharton Aerospace Officer |  | Byron CallanCapital Alpha Partners | |||
 | Kevin FaheyPresident and Chief Operating Officer, Cypress International & former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition |  | Anne Marie KnottRobert and Barbara Frick Professor in Business |
Increasing Speed and Flexibility in DoD Budgeting — Going from Ideas to Implementation
Webinar, March 23, 2021
Panel 1. Beyond PPBE: Getting Real Speed and Flexibility into the Acquisition System
Panel 2. The Practicalities of Real Change: Moving from Ideas to Implementation
Budget reform is definitely in the water. There is increasing recognition that the PPBE—Planning, Programming, Budgeting, Execution—the venerable DoD resource allocation process established in the early 1960s is not serving the Department and, most importantly, the warfighter well. As Chairman Senator Jack Reed and former Google CEO Mr. Eric Schmidt noted in a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, the PPBE process is greatly hindering speed and effectively in the defense acquisition system. In the words of Mr. Schmidt, “This is how DoD ends up with a camel rather than a horse.” [Link]
How do we fix this? Starting with a white paper written by our own Senior Fellow Eric Lofgren last year, innovative ideas are being proposed that look very promising. [Link] Getting from ideas to implementation, however, is a very different story. To find a way forward, the Center for Government Contracting is partnering with the Wharton Aerospace Community to discuss (1) the major ideas circulating for budget reform; and (2) practical ways to affect real change.
We assembled two dynamic panels for this conversation.
Additional Background Information
Each first-round panelist has contributed to important PPBE recommendations in the following reports
- Competing in Time: Ensuring Capability Advantage and Mission Success through Adaptable Resource Allocation
- National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence: Final Report
- Five by Five: Five Disciplines and Five Strategic Initiatives for the Pentagon in the Digital Age
Welcome
| Jerry McGinn, Ph.D.Executive Director |
Panel 1: Beyond PPBE: Getting real speed and flexibility into the acquisition system
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
 | Eric Lofgren, ModeratorSenior Fellow |  | Dan PattAdjunct Fellow | |||
 | Courtney BarnoDirector of Research & Analysis |  | Matt MacGregorAcquisition Specialist |
Panel 2: The practicalities of real change: Moving from ideas to implementation
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
| Ellen Chang, IntroductionWharton Aerospace Officer |
| Jerry McGinn, Ph.D., ModeratorExecutive Director |  | Dov ZakheimSenior Fellow | |||
 | John YoungPrincipal |  | Jamie MorinVice President, Defense Systems Operations |
Community Interests
Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce Events
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is a partner of George Mason University, with the Center engaged in the Chamber's Government Contracting Council. Here is a link to their Events Calendar.
Reston Chamber of Commerce Events
Registration is now open for the 9th Annual NoVA B2G Matchmaking Conference & Expo Online. This virtual event will run on May 6, 2021 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. Highlights include Keynotes, Breakout Rooms, Small Business EXPO, Education sessions, and Networking. Register today!
SECAF Events
SECAF, the Small Advisory Contractors Advisory Forum, has numerous events of interest to the GovCon community. See their Events Calendar for further details.
ACG National Capital
ACG National Capital's membership and events facilitate relationship building and provide growth-related content to the middle market M&A community. Here is a link to their Events Calendar.