Kevin Rice Gets Inside Your Proposal Before the Government Does
20 years inside the Skunkworks on the F-22, F-35, SR-71, and F-117. 20 years at JPL overseeing three Mars Rover programs. Now available to a select number of defense and space companies.
Developed by Kevin Rice, Architect of NASA's Project Control Handbook
Every high-stakes aerospace program runs on two engines: a technical engine that builds the machine, and a business engine that ensures the mission succeeds on time and on budget.
Part I: The Forge — Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works (1978-2001)
Over a 23 year career, Kevin served in increasingly more responsible positions to eventually become Director of Business Project Management inside Lockheed Martin's legendary Skunk Works— one of the most secretive and successful aerospace development organization on the planet.
He was responsible for the business architecture of the programs that helped define American air dominance, including the F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and the SR-71 Blackbird.
In this high-stakes environment, where failure meant national security risks and billion-dollar consequences, the foundational principles of the Mission Business Framework were forged. It was a framework built not on theory, but on the necessary realities of managing some of the world's most advanced and classified projects.
Part II: The Proving Ground — NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2001-2017)
Kevin was then recruited by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to serve as Director of Project Business Management, where he was responsible for the business side of some of the most complex missions ever attempted, including the Mars Rovers.
At JPL, the principles forged at Skunk Works were refined and codified into a repeatable, scalable framework.
It became a NASA standard for integrating the chaotic variables of cost, schedule, contracts, and risk into a single source of truth.
This is when the framework became the Mission Business Framework.
Part III: The Offering — For Your Mission (Today)
For the first time, the exact same operating framework—forged at the Skunk Works and perfected on the interplanetary missions of JPL—is now available to the private sector.
This framework is designed to give your teams the discipline of a prime contractor and your leadership the confidence of a NASA family mission director. It transforms your business operations from a source of risk into your greatest competitive advantage.
We don't just teach you the theory. We install the framework.
Every engagement is built around your specific program, your active bids, and the execution challenges you are facing right now.
Execution Diagnostic Call
Who it’s for: Defense and space companies preparing for a major bid or currently executing a cost-plus contract.
Kevin reviews your current program situation in 45 minutes and gives you his honest read on where the execution exposure is. No pitch. No obligation. You leave with something actionable whether we work together further or not.
Proposal Architecture Sprint
Who it's for: Companies with an active bid on a DoD or NASA contract that represents a step change in scale or complexity.
Kevin embeds directly in your proposal for its full duration. He reviews every volume, identifies what will get you scored down in Source Selection, and rewrites what needs to change. You submit a proposal that reads like it was built by someone who has been on the evaluation side of that table for 40 years.
Program Integrity Retainer
Who it's for: Companies currently executing a cost-plus contract with DoD or NASA and preparing for option year renewal or recompete.
Kevin works alongside your team on an ongoing basis. He manages your CPARS performance posture, builds the cost baseline discipline that survives a DCAA audit, prepares your team for program reviews, and protects the execution record that determines whether you win the follow-on. By the time your recompete arrives, you are not hoping for a good outcome. You have built one.
Mission Leadership
Steven Shaw
Director of Program Development
Steven is responsible for translating Kevin Rice's NASA-standard business frameworks into actionable, high-impact training materials for our clients.
He manages the entire lifecycle of our curriculum, from initial content development and instructional design to the final delivery through our UAH-certificate program. Working directly alongside Kevin, Steven serves as the critical bridge between expert knowledge and practical application.
He ensures that every client receives a world-class, seamless learning experience that is both academically rigorous and immediately applicable to their mission-critical programs.
Kevin Rice
Founder & Chief Architect
With 40 years of experience managing the business architecture for missions at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works (F-22) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Mars Rovers), Kevin is the creator of the NASA-standard framework for business integration.
As the architect of NASA's Project Control Handbook, he is a recognized authority on building the business management processes that ensure mission success.
His focus is working directly inside the programs and proposals where the stakes are highest
Winston Carter
CGO
Winston is the architect of the company's growth engine, responsible for bringing Kevin's NASA-standard frameworks to the aerospace and defense industry.
His partnership with Kevin began in 2021, successfully bringing Kevin's insights to world-class institutions like The Wharton School of Business and Stanford University.
Today, he leads the firm's go-to-market strategy, client acquisition, and overall business operations.
Send us a message
Or connect on LinkedIn
Your Questions Answered
Is this just another consulting or training program?
No. Kevin does not hand you a framework and leave. He works inside your program alongside your team. If you have a proposal due, he is in the proposal. If you are managing an active cost-plus contract, he is managing the execution posture with you. The difference between advice and embedded expertise is the difference between reading about surgery and having a surgeon in the room
How is this different from standard PMP® certification?
PMP teaches the general "what" of project management. The Mission Business Framework™ is a specialized system that installs the "how" of aerospace business integration. Our program is designed specifically for the unique financial and operational pressures of high-stakes aerospace programs, creating strategic partners who can make risk-informed decisions, not just certified managers who can run reports.
Will this system work for our specific company/project type?
The OS is a framework, not a rigid, one-size-fits-all process. It was forged on everything from secretive Skunk Works projects to massive JPL missions. We adapt the core principles to your specific needs, whether you're a high-growth startup that needs to build systems from scratch or an established contractor who needs to optimize them.
What is the expected ROI?
A single major program overrun can cost millions in lost profit. A single lost multi-million dollar contract can stunt a company's growth for years. The Framework is designed to directly mitigate these massive financial risks while making you more competitive in winning new contracts. A good business management system helps to generate more cash, increase profit margins, and reduce costs. The ROI isn't incremental; it's foundational to your company's profitability.
Who is the ideal company for this program?
Our ideal partner is an aerospace company with mission-critical projects who is feeling the financial pain of operational chaos. This is for the executive team or program director who is frustrated by a lack of visibility and control and is ready to invest in a permanent solution. This is not for teams seeking basic project management skills or companies not yet at a scale where overruns have a significant financial impact.