ICON to demonstrate new ACE product at NFFS Conference
The NFFS 2026 Industry Executive Conference is fast approaching. Scheduled for February 20-22 at the El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico, this year's event will feature a demonstration of the new ICON Portal with the Automatic Contract Evaluation (A.C.E.) module. Don't miss this first look at one of the casting and forging industries' newest solutions to government procurement.
ICON, developed and operated by the Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS), is the premier digital platform advancing the capabilities of the U.S. defense manufacturing supply chain. ICON connects qualified American foundries, forges, and machine shops with government and prime contractor buyers seeking trusted, compliant partners. Through NFFS's leadership, ICON bridges industry expertise with cutting-edge technology to strengthen the resiliency, transparency, and competitiveness of the nation's industrial base.
Beyond DIBBS
The DLA operates DIBBS (DLA Internet Bid Board System), a general procurement platform covering 78 Federal Supply Groups and 645 Federal Supply Classes. DIBBS handles everything from toilet paper to fuel, which means critical metal parts compete for attention alongside commodity supplies.
ICON is an industry-specific procurement platform focused exclusively on metals manufacturing. ICON does three things:
- Ingests metal parts solicitations from DIBBS
- Presents solicitation data in a format that allows manufacturers to quickly identify opportunities matching their capabilities
- Connects users with supply chain partners to collaboratively fulfill assemblies (some contracts require individual parts; others require complete assemblies)
Think of ICON as taking DIBBS solicitations to the next level by making the procurement process significantly more user-friendly for the metals manufacturing sector.
The A.C.E. Upgrade: Turn Supply Chain Intelligence into Competitive Advantage
What A.C.E. Does:
Intelligent Opportunity Matching filters thousands of DoD and DLA solicitations to surface only the opportunities that align with your materials, processes, certifications, and capacity. Stop wasting time on solicitations you can't win.
Automated Feasibility Analysis aggregates solicitation data, market research, and NSN information into a single dashboard so you can quickly evaluate technical and economic feasibility before investing time on a bid.
Supply Chain Intelligence analyzes government problem part lists and helps you identify qualified suppliers for complex, multi-component projects, turning collaboration into competitive advantage.
Bid/No-Bid Confidence provides a guided evaluation framework so you'll make faster, data-driven decisions about which opportunities to pursue, reducing wasted effort and increasing win rates.
The Result: A.C.E. helps you focus resources on the bids that matter, turning procurement complexity into competitive advantage.
Don't miss this opportunity to get a first-look at the future of government procurement for the casting, forging and machining industry. Register for the NFFS Industry Executive Conference today.
Visit iconportal.com to learn more.