Breaking Into Redstone: A Strategic Guide for Small Business

Are you positioned to win at Redstone—or just hoping to get noticed?

The EXPRESS Program: A Fast Track Worth Knowing

If you're not on the Army's EXPRESS (Expedited Professional and Engineering Support Services) contract vehicle, you're missing one of the most efficient paths to Redstone work. EXPRESS is a multiple-award IDIQ designed to streamline task order awards for engineering, technical, and logistics support services—exactly the work Redstone buys daily. LogiCore Corporation has been a prime contractor on the EXPRESS Logistics Domain since 2009, delivering mission-critical support to Army customers. Whether you pursue a prime position on future iterations or explore teaming with current primes, EXPRESS should be part of your capture strategy.

The decision: Are you positioned on the contract vehicles Redstone actually uses—or still competing the hard way?

Redstone Arsenal is one of the most active federal installations for small business opportunities. Army Materiel Command, PEO Missiles and Space, and dozens of tenant organizations spend billions annually on logistics, engineering, IT, and support services.

But here's the reality: most small businesses show up too late, submit generic proposals, and lose to competitors who did the work months before the solicitation dropped.

If you want Redstone work, you need a capture strategy—not just a proposal.

Know the Buyers Before They Buy

The procurement process at Redstone is competitive, but it's not random. Contract awards go to businesses that understood the requirement before it hit SAM.gov. That means researching incumbent contracts, tracking recompetes, and studying agency forecasts.

The decision: Are you monitoring Redstone procurement patterns, or waiting for alerts like everyone else?

Relationships Are Intel

Networking isn't about collecting business cards. It's about building relationships that give you insight—what's working, what's not, where the pain points are. Attend Redstone's small business events, schedule capability briefs with program offices, and engage prime contractors who need your expertise on their teams.

The decision: Are you visible to Redstone decision-makers, or invisible until proposal submission?

Leverage What's Available

Programs like SBIR, STTR, and Mentor-Protégé exist to give small businesses a competitive edge. But they only work if you pursue them strategically—aligned to your capabilities and the Army's priorities.

The decision: Are you using small business programs as a growth strategy, or ignoring money left on the table?

Resources to Act on Now

SAM.gov — Register, maintain your profile, and set alerts for Redstone and EXPRESS opportunities https://sam.gov

Army EXPRESS Program — Official program information and current contract holders https://www.amcom.army.mil/express/

Army Small Business Program — Certifications, events, and contacts for small business contractors https://smallbusiness.army.mil

Redstone Arsenal Small Business Office — Local contracting opportunities and capability briefing requests https://www.amcom.army.mil/amcom-small-business/

Bottom Line

Winning at Redstone isn't luck. It's positioning, relationships, and execution—long before the RFP drops.

Make the decision to compete smarter.

— Miranda Bouldin Defense Signals: Intel for Better Decisions