U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is taking advantage of its new acquisition authority ahead of its first industry day later this month, awarding its first contract to Gartner Inc. [IT] for information technology (IT) research services.

The $580,000, one-year contract to Gartner is the first deal awarded under the limited acquisition authority that Congress provided CYBERCOM with in the fiscal year 2016 defense authorization bill.US cybercommand

“Instead of trying to provide basic details to a separate organization to draft and award contracts, we now have the visibility and capability to make those contracts as tailored as possible,” said Tony Davis, who served as the acting command acquisition executive and led the effort to stand up the new authority. “This makes us more agile by developing very technical, very cyber-specific personnel and support contracts.”

Gartner is tasked with providing IT research and advisory services to CYBERCOM, with a focus on market and business strategies, information on new architecture and identification of trends for business strategy planning.

CYBERCOM sought Gartner for its proprietary hype cycle and magic quadrant analysis, and its expertise in multi-level security, intrusion detection, data center modernization and IT asset management.

The new limited acquisition authority extends through September 2021 and allows CYBERCOM to award up to $75 million in contracts a year.

CYBERCOM will hold its first industry day on Oct. 27 in Springfield, Va., to discuss its acquisition plans with government and industry representatives (Defense Daily, Aug. 9). Officials hope the new authority allows for greater flexibility in meeting its need for cyber-specific capabilities.

“The people who are doing this limited acquisition are the ones who are most intimately aware of CYBERCOM’s unique requirements,” said Davis. “The closer you are to the operator at the point end of the spear, the better you can ensure the [contract] vehicles are tailored to the mission.”