On July 30, aerospace expert Dr. James Cutler from the University of Michigan joined the MagQuest team for the final webinar in our Phase 2 webinar series. He discussed how solvers might approach the Concept of Operations (ConOps) for their Phase 2 submissions, as well as program management considerations for risk assessment, schedule, budget, and team structure.

Top questions and answers from the webinar

Is the Phase 2 submission considered a “proposal” — similar to what a U.S. defense contractor would typically submit to the Government (e.g., DFARS regulations, etc., realistic cost estimates based on approved labor rates, etc.)?
Please refer to the MagQuest Phase 2 submission information. The competition is seeking information on lifecycle cost; solvers can use their discretion in determining the level of cost fidelity they submit.

How do you suggest including margin in the budget estimate?
MagQuest is not requesting specific values, but one suggestion for solvers is to match margin to risk. This could include commenting on the risks that may require additional margin, and providing justification for the level of margin suggested.

Information about a potential Phase 3

At NGA’s discretion, additional phases of the challenge may follow Phase 2. A potential Phase 3 of the challenge will likely be restricted to winners or other selected Phase 2 solution providers, at the discretion of NGA. In a potential Phase 3, the challenge would likely require the development and testing of systems that should be capable of collecting data of sufficient quality and quantity for the WMM.

Submissions due August 28

Phase 2 submissions are due by 4:59 p.m. EDT on August 28, 2019.

The independent judging panel will help select up to five winners according to the Phase 2 selection criteria and target performance metrics. If you have questions that aren’t addressed in the FAQ, please contact us at hello@magquest.com. Subscribe to the MagQuest newsletter to receive timely challenge updates.