The DoD buys Spaceships not Warp Drives...sell products not technology

It is a very common issue in the R&D space, especially when working with small companies, that the government is pitched a "technology" or "solution". The core issue with this approach is that it is fundamentally flawed from the start. The government acquisition system does not build things it buys end products. The government has to buy products (usually a complete system) to fill a requirement, and not components for systems no matter how cool, useful, or ground breaking a technology it might be. It is the role of industry to take our need, and figure out a way to make their technology into a product, that then can by purchased by the government to address that original need.

The picture above is an excerpt from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology branch's "Product Realization Guide" from 2013. Regardless of the age, it is a fantastic reference for industry to follow for how to structure their thinking around taking an idea through to a full end product utilizing the various government jargon and funding toolsets. The link to the full guide:

https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/product_realization_chart.pdf