Attention Small Businesses:
- Did you know over 90% of Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) awardees indicate RIF helped their business base?
- 62% had new employee hires
- 57% said RIF helped transition their technology
- 52% benefitted from RIF teaming opportunities
- 38% saw an increase in market sales
- Did you know over 80% note a program like RIF is vital to transition of small business technologies?
Did you know the Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) is designed to transition innovative technologies, primarily from small businesses that can be rapidly inserted into acquisition programs that meet specific defense needs?
The goal of the Rapid Innovation Fund is to transition innovative technologies that resolve operational challenges or save costs into acquisition programs. The DoD seeks mature prototypes for final development, testing, evaluation, and integration. There is a source selection preference for technologies from small businesses. There are two phases in the source selection process: White Paper submission and full proposal submission. Full proposal submissions are by invitation only.
A Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) entitled "Department of Defense (DoD) Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF)", which will include separate technology areas of interest for each of the Military Departments and the Defense Agencies, is used to solicit white papers and technical proposals that resolve DoD operational challenges or other critical national security needs.
Join your host, Vikki Hawthorne, USWCC National Director | Supplier Development and special quest, Ms. Alice M. Williams, Associate Director, Under the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition Logistics & Technology, Office of Small Business Programs.
To prepare for the session, it is recommended to visit fbo.gov and search FY 2015 Rapid Innovation Fund (541712) Solicitation Number: HQ0034-15-BAA-RIF-0001B to review a previous RIF announcement.
BIOS
Alice M. Williams serves as the Associate Director for newly established Workforce Initiative and the Socio-economic Programs, Under the Office of Secretary Defense (OSD), Acquisition Logistics and Technology, Office of Small Business Programs. She provides functional leadership and oversight of the entire process for the workforce initiatives and provide management and control of socio-economic programs across the Department of Defense (DoD).
With over 35 years of public service with Army and prior to transitioning to DoD, Alice served in several contracting activities; most often in Small Business key leadership positions performing major weapon systems and base operation functions for $109 billion acquisition programs. Alice was instrumental in standing up Army Contracting Agency, Army Contracting Command and transitioned Army Contracting Command to Huntsville, Alabama as part of the Army Materiel Command’s Base Closure and Realignment Commission move. She is a former Contracting Officer and held an unlimited warrant serving the White House for the Presidential Inauguration Committee, Army Joint Chief Staff Special Task Force, Army 3rd Infantry (The Old Guard) and others and was a senior contracting advisor on “Operation Noble Eagle” Pentagon renovation after 911.
She is Level III certified contracting professional, certified in the Army Acquisition Leadership Challenge Program-Level II and is a huge advocate for mentoring junior contracting professionals!
She received Certification in Management from University of Virginia, Darden Executive Leadership Program, 2009 graduate of the Federal Executive Institute; CP 14 Army’s Senior Leadership Development Program and received her Bachelor’s in Business Management from National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois