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News | Sept. 28, 2021

DLA awards 7 contracts to small businesses at Industry Collider Day

By DLA Information Operations Communications

Seven small businesses were awarded contracts for innovative solutions to warfighter and national security challenges through the Defense Logistics Agency’s 2021 Small Business Innovation Research Program during Industry Collider Day Sept. 8.

The awards are the result of four solicitations DLA issued before the event for research and development proposals involving several technology domains. The solicitations included detailed problem statements and challenges and drew 67 applications. 

“It’s a pleasure to join you today, especially as we get a chance to celebrate a number of truly outstanding small businesses whose work demonstrates how DLA is expanding our partnerships to transform and modernize the work we do in support of our warfighters,” DLA Acquisition Deputy Director Roxanne Banks said.

The first contract category was created to design unique identifier tag technology for tracking and tracing modular unmanned underwater vehicle systems and subsystems throughout production. Two winners were awarded contracts: Triton Systems, Inc., from Massachusetts, and Hawaii-based HNu Photonics.

In the second category, businesses were asked to consider the development of thermoplastic forming of metal components for military applications in aeronautical and space platforms. Connecticut’s Supercool Metals was awarded the Phase I contract, and the resulting technology will undergo testing.

Two award winners were selected in the rare earth metals production category, where the objective is to develop, demonstrate and stand up a rare earth metal production process in the U.S. Rare earth metals are essential to a wide range of civilian and military technologies including aircraft. Ohio’s Terves, LLC, and Massachusetts’ HELA Novel Metals, LLC, were both awarded Phase I contracts. 

The final category aims to develop, demonstrate, and stand up a rare earth separation and refining process in the U.S. Rare earth elements critical to military aircraft and weapons systems include pure metals, metal alloys and coatings. The two winners were Tusaar Inc. from Colorado and Anactisis, LLC, from Pennsylvania.  

DLA Vice Director Brad Bunn congratulated selectees. 

“You now join DLA’s long history of partnerships with small businesses. Your work will help transform and modernize our support of the warfighter,” he said. 

DLA’s Small Business Innovation Program includes three separate research and development competitive award programs, with most of the funding coming from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The competitive opportunities include the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs, and the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering’s Rapid Innovation Fund.