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Dig the new digs: Alion Science and Technology relocated to a new global corporate headquarters in Tysons, nearly 11 months after the IT and engineering company signed a lease agreement to occupy office space in the 20-story Boro Tower. GovConWire picked up the release.

On a roll: Leidos won two multibillion-dollar contracts in the span of a week, winning a Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) contract with a $6.5 billion ceiling, the Washington Business Journal reported. The win comes on the heels of Leidos’ joint award with Parsons Corp and Centerra Group for a $4 billion Department of Energy contract.

Tech team: Nineteen major area employers, including Amazon, Capital One, EY, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, endorsed a plan for regional tech-education framework drawn by the Greater Washington Partnership’s Capital CoLAB. Thirteen educational institutions are part of Capital CoLAB, including Fairfax County Public Schools, Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University. Drew Hansen of the Washington Business Journal learned more details.

Chocolate on demand: McLean-based food giant Mars partnered with Standard Cognition, a San Francisco-based provider of AI-powered autonomous checkout solutions for brick-and-mortar retailers to help them evolve into a new world of autonomous checkout by integrating seamless technology and impulse sales. Vending Times checked in with this story.

Collaborative kudos: Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, and Stephanie Landrum, president of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, were honored Dec. 11 by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) with the Ronald Kirby Award for Collaborative Leadership. Virginia Business covered the story.

Med-tech investors: Hememics Biotechnologies, the Rockville, Md.-based developer of a cellphone-sized device used to detect pathogens in less than one minute, said it landed a $2.5 million investment from AMVI Partners, a consortium of Vietnamese investors with offices in Tysons. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the news release.

Pushing boundaries: Centauri, a Chantilly-based provider of high-end space, intelligence, directed energy and cyber services, said it acquired a pair of companies in Ohio: The Design Knowledge Co. (TDKC) and PreTalen. Potomac Tech Wire carried the release.

For kith and kin: Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) said it has invested an unspecified amount in Tysons-based KinergyCare, a provider of technology-enabled healthcare services. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Spec-ulation: Akridge is not ruling out a spec start on One Tysons East in Tysons but It will be another 4-5 months before the company decides to go forward or not, said Akridge’s President Matt Klein, in a Washington Business Journal article penned by Daniel J. Sernovitz. The site for the 11-story building planned for Old Meadow Road near the McLean Metro Station.

Sunny savings: The Fairfax County government signed agreements with three teams of solar developers in what it calls the largest power-purchase agreement initiative by a municipality in the Commonwealth. The providers will install, own and maintain the solar installations at more than 100 government buildings, county schools and park sites. Over the course of the 25-year contracts, Fairfax County said, there is a potential savings of $60 million. WTOP shined more light on the subject.

Flights rerouted: A massive overhaul at the National Air and Space Museum  in Washington, D.C., is underway with 2,000 artifacts including 65 airplanes moved for the time being to a new $60 million storage facility at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, according to the Washington Post.

Stay tuned: Tysons-based Omnispace is working to bridge satellite and ground tech for seamless communication and will be making major announcements in 2020, according to Omnispace’s CEO Ram Viswanathan in a DCInno article.

Aussie acquisition: Tysons-based IT company DXC Technology acquired Australia-based Bluleader, a consulting firm that provides customer experience solutions. Technical.ly DC picked up the news release.

Trans-Pacific partnership: Research outfit MITRE partnered with the State Department in efforts to strengthen the cyber ecosystems of 10 developing countries in southeast Asia. In collaboration with representatives from partner nations or organizations, MITRE conducted analyses at its Tysons headquarters and submitted a report to the State Department. ExecutiveGov picked up the news release.

Here’s Why: WhyHotel, a company that offers pop-up hotel rooms in recently built luxury apartments in Tysons, Arlington and Seattle, raised $20 million in a funding round, according to a report by VentureBeat. The alternative accommodation market is a growing trend that was spearheaded by Airbnb.

Healthy hiring: Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) said that its CIT GAP Funds invested in Richmond-based Kamana, developer of a software platform designed to help healthcare employers and professionals fill jobs more efficiently. Potomac Tech Wire carried the release.

Salisbury stake: Reston-based Comscore announced a deal to provide Draper Media with measurement services for its CBS, NBC and FOX television stations in Salisbury, Md. The services are designed to help networks, advertisers, agencies and media companies find and reach their ideal audiences to maximize revenues. Potomac Tech Wire picked up the release.

Cloud three: George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College and Amazon Web Services won Education Dive’s “Partnership of the Year” Dive Award 2019 for teaming up to expand access to the emerging Cloud Computing career field with a program that spans the two schools, Education Dive announced.

Weird wave: Herndon’s Weird Brother’s Coffee shop was featured in Daily Coffee News, describing the craft-brewed coffee and science fiction-themed venue as part of the artisanal “third wave of coffee” movement.

Notable contract wins by firms in Fairfax County

General Dynamics Information Technology secured a $118 million contract to provide mission support to the U.S. Army’s Department of Information Network. Washington Exec

Parsons Corporation won a prime position on the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) $7.5 billion Systems Engineering, Technology, and Innovation (SETI) contract. Military Embedded Systems

HawkEye 360 landed a new contract for a commercial radio-frequency survey study for the National Reconnaissance Office. DC Inno Beat

Palantir won a $111 million deal from the Army for software to link supply chains, human resources and other operations systems. Bloomberg

General Dynamics‘ Mission Systems business unit received a potential five-year, $300 million contract to perform support work on missile-system components for the U.S. Ohio-class and U.K. Vanguard-class submarines. GovConWire

BAE Systems secured a four-year, $249.1 million contract modification to deliver self-propelled howitzer artillery systems to the U.S. Army. GovConWire

Featured business events

• January 7 — Entrepreneurship 101: Starting a Business in Fairfax County. The workshops are generally held on the first Tuesday of each month, unless a holiday precedes the first Tuesday, in which case the date is shifted to the second Tuesday of the month. There is no charge, but pre-registration is required and the workshops almost always fill up. Click here to find out which sessions are open for registration.