“Obsolescence Mitigation Manufacturing” is a working name to describe partnering and bidding programs to take advantage of federal manufacturing procurement opportunities.

There is a specific category of federal defense procurement referred to as DMSMS, sometimes called to as “obsolescence mitigation”. Through the Defense Logistics Agency, the US Department of Defense coordinates its bidding and purchasing for replacement parts and materials in this category that are necessary to prevent systems, vehicles, and other technologies from becoming prematurely obsolete due to unavailable replacement parts or outmoded components. Often, these parts are necessary due to wear and depletion in the field, due to changing standards in technology and communications, or sometimes just because the major defense contractor that manufactured the original vehicle or system is not interested in making replacement components. These create opportunities for small to medium-sized manufacturers to supply replacement components, or even redesign components using new technologies. DMSMS solicitations can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars in procurement activity.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) has initiated a multi-year project to develop a responsive manufacturing network in collaboration with the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and under initial support by a grant from Technology Research Consultants (TRC). Innovation Insight has been contracted to provide support for this effort in the form of research, database / vetted contact list development, network development, and focus group facilitation.

Additional information about the project can be found at DefenseConnection.org.