<–Go back to Black Hat review page
Executive Summary: A strategic challenger unseated a heavily entrenched incumbent to win a $1 Billion GSA AAS contract. By leveraging Clear Eyed CI to map an incumbent’s M&A-bolstered capabilities and technical gaps, the client secured a Tier-1 win in the Air Force ISR domain.
- Objective: Incumbent Displacement (Takeaway)
- Market: USAF / Intelligence Community (IC)
- Core Technologies: Sensor Fusion, C2 Systems, Rapid Prototyping (RDT&E)
- Contracting Agency: U.S. General Services Administration, Assisted Acquisition Services (GSA AAS)…used FEDSIM model
The Challenge: Unseating the “Entrenched” Incumbent
- The Moat: The incumbent held a strong position with deep corporate investment, recent M&A growth, and demonstrated prototype success.
- The Barrier: High-urgency mission requirements and classified technical silos gave the incumbent a significant advantage.
- The Environment: A GSA AAS-led evaluation prioritized management sophistication over low-price solutions.
The Strategy: Intelligence-Led Displacement
- M&A Impact Analysis: Evaluated how the incumbent’s recent acquisitions changed their cost structure and technical delivery.
- Gap Identification: Focused on “boutique” technical areas—Sensor Fusion and C2—in which we could find areas for the client to demonstrate superior value over the incumbent.
- Framework: Used the Rapid CI model to find the “pressure points” against the competitor. Then we used a GSA AAS-shaped Black Hat session to apply the intelligence gathered to define tactics to win.
The Execution: High-Fidelity Black Hat
- Incumbent Emulation: Conducted a Black Hat session mirroring the incumbent’s post-M&A resource posture.
- Data Platform Utilization: Leveraged Clear Eyed CI to analyze competitor personnel movements and internal business processes.
- Differentiation Mapping: Developed a winning technical narrative that addressed USAF urgent needs more effectively than the incumbent’s established baseline.
The Impact
- Financial Result: Successfully captured the $1 Billion award.
- Portfolio Growth: Added a critical GSA AAS vehicle to the client’s portfolio, enabling faster funding cycles for future DoW customers.
- Market Position: Solidified the client as a leader in Information Dominance and Military Space markets.
Want to learn more about the strategies employed in our case study wins? Read about them in our Black Hat Review Sessions page.
