Unfortunately it is not that simple. Yes DoD funds companies to DEVELOP new technologies. DARPA will also fund production. But, there is a long road between development and production. What Bourque has been producing is engineering prototypes. Yes, they produce a product that is excellent. Taking an engineering prototype to a producible product is another ball game. The product must be reproducible in accordance with approved and released engineering and manufacturing documents. Each product must meet approved acceptance criteria that includes a lot more than just stopping a bullet! In addition, all pieces of the supply chain must be qualified suppliers. This is not engineering prototyping, but full scale production - different rules apply.
Bourque needs to decide what he wants to do - develop products and applications or go into the DoD manufacturing world. He doesn't have the time or resources to do both. I doubt that he has the resources to hire enough good consultants to make the grade. DoD assistance is like hearing the comment from the IRS "we are here to help you".
IMO Edge1 is absolutely right on. Get the cert and produce for the locals.
Bourque may be able to bypass the whole DoD contracting fiasco because DoD has the option of purchasing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) if they so chose. Doing this on body armor and helmets is a stretch but doable. First there must be a commercial off-the-shelf product with documentation, not just engineering prototypes. They will be looking for a stable company and stable production (appropriate controls in place).
Look at it like toilet paper. It may be cheaper for the government to purchase it at the local Wallyworld as COTS than going through the government contracting process with specifications, quality control, and acceptance testing. If they are satisfied that the product meets their requirements then they can buy it! However, selling COTS is not a gime. Some companies that have received orders from the USG and have flatly refused to sell to them because of all of the terms and conditions. The USG terms and conditions are always negotiable and if the general is out of TP they will take what you have without the obnoxious T&C! They do have a checkbook. (been there and done that)
