Applied Radar Inc., a small business based in North Kingstown, RI, is the recipient of a $1.4 M congressional earmark to develop a Wideband Digital Airborne Electronic Sensing Array for the US Air Force. Supported by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the set-aside will be used to develop an advanced prototype of a novel digital radar receiver initiated under a DoD Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Hanscom AFB, MA.
At a time when there is increased scrutiny in the democratic congress of the earmark process, the set-asides are still a valuable and effective means for developing novel state-of-the-art technology for the US military. According to William H. Weedon, president/CEO of Applied Radar Inc., “there seems to be a misconception that earmarks are handed out by lawmakers like candy and can be spent however one wishes. But in reality, the funding can only be used as a supplement to an existing contract that was competed. As such, the supplemental funds are subject to the same stringent contracting and accounting as any other DoD award. We welcome the increased scrutiny and accountability, and hopefully it will help weed out the abusers.”
The congressional earmark process has long been used by lawmakers and large DoD prime contractors as a way of leveling the playing field for jobs between states and districts, due to the economic impact of large DoD contracts. In the last few years, savvy small businesses have also tapped into this process as a way of funding high-technology projects, in a DoD market dominated by a handful of large prime contractors. “We don’t think this process is going to go away, because the large primes could not survive without the political pull of their congressmen. But we just hope that the changes and increased scrutiny do not unevenly hurt small businesses that produce a lot of the new technology for the military” says Weedon.
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