Process automation

Air Force Awards SBIR Phase III Deal to Invoke for RPA Development

The U.S. Air Force has tasked Invoke Public Sector with robotic process automation development as a service under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III procurement contract, continuing the company’s work alongside the Rapid Sustainment Office and the Program Executive Office for Business and Enterprise Systems. With RPA, the service seeks to boost efficiency and reduce time spent on administrative tasks, Invoke said.

As the only vendor to attain SBIR Phase III status, Invoke is the Air Force’s sole RPA provider. According to Matthew Roberts, program manager at the Air Force RPA Center of Excellence, the service opted to extend its relationship with Invoke over its supply chain automation work with RSO under a Phase II deal. Roberts emphasized that the company’s ability to rapidly develop and deploy solutions has enabled the Air Force to reap returns on its investments in automation.

Invoke is collaborating with UiPath, an RPA software developer, on launch and scale support for the Air Force’s Digital Wingman Program. In 2021, two directorates within the service kicked off the Building Digital Wingman Challenge, a competition aimed at yielding an RPA system capable of handling repetitive tasks in place of human users.

Automation is a long-term focus for the Air Force. Lauren Knausenberger, the Department of the Air Force chief information officer and a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, outlined plans to expand RPA use at a 2021 industry event.