diff --git a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/DefaultFactoryProducer.java b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/DefaultFactoryProducer.java
index b32338c8..908e3da4 100644
--- a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/DefaultFactoryProducer.java
+++ b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/DefaultFactoryProducer.java
@@ -165,14 +165,21 @@ protected Factory getFactory(ICS ics) {
      * <p>
      * This implementation uses the constructor configured in the {@link #CONFIG_FILE}. It also
      * uses ICS to locate the ServletContext, and then gets the servletContext-backed factory
-     * which it will use as a delegate for the ics-backed factory.
+     * which it will use as a delegate for the ics-backed factory, if possible.
      *
      * @param ics the ics context
      * @return the factory
      */
     protected Factory createFactory(ICS ics) {
-        ServletContext servletContext = ics.getIServlet().getServlet().getServletContext();
-        Factory delegate = getFactory(servletContext);
+
+        Factory delegate;
+        try {
+            delegate = getFactory(ics.getIServlet().getServlet().getServletContext());
+            LOG.debug("Creating ICS-backed factory that delegates to a servletContext-backed factory");
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            delegate = null;
+            LOG.debug("Creating ICS-backed factory that has no delegate because no servletContext could be located");
+        }
 
         Constructor<Factory> con = factoryConstructors.get(ICS.class);
         try {
diff --git a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/FactoryLocator.java b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/FactoryLocator.java
index e9ba7404..ae4873e9 100644
--- a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/FactoryLocator.java
+++ b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/FactoryLocator.java
@@ -16,8 +16,11 @@
 package tools.gsf.config;
 
 import COM.FutureTense.Interfaces.ICS;
+import COM.FutureTense.Interfaces.IServlet;
 
+import javax.servlet.Servlet;
 import javax.servlet.ServletContext;
+import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
 
 /**
  * Utility class for working with the factory producer and factories.
@@ -49,12 +52,34 @@ public static FactoryProducer locateFactoryProducer(ServletContext servletContex
      * Convenience method for locating the factory producer that resides in the servlet context.
      * Never returns null.
      *
-     * @param ics the ics object (which of course holds a pointer to the servlet context)
+     * @param ics the ics object (which, should of course, hold a pointer to the servlet context). If the
+     *            specified ICS object does NOT hold a pointer to the servlet context, this locator method
+     *            will fall back to the <code>DefaultFactoryProducer</code> class, as there is no defined
+     *            configuration capability for creating custom factory producers without a servlet context.
      * @return the factory producer, never null
      */
     public static FactoryProducer locateFactoryProducer(ICS ics) {
-        ServletContext servletContext = ics.getIServlet().getServlet().getServletContext();
-        return locateFactoryProducer(servletContext);
+        if (ics == null) throw new IllegalArgumentException("No ICS found - cannot locate factory without a scope");
+
+        ServletContext servletContext;
+        try {
+            servletContext = ics.getIServlet().getServlet().getServletContext();
+        } catch (RuntimeException e) {
+            servletContext = null;
+        }
+
+        if (servletContext == null) {
+            Object o = ics.GetObj(ServletContextLoader.GSF_FACTORY_PRODUCER);
+            if (o == null) {
+                // There is no defined configuration capability for a factory producer that does not involve
+                // the servlet context. Rather than fail, return the default factory producer instead.
+                o = new DefaultFactoryProducer();
+                ics.SetObj(ServletContextLoader.GSF_FACTORY_PRODUCER, o);
+            }
+            return (FactoryProducer)o;
+        } else {
+            return locateFactoryProducer(servletContext);
+        }
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/IcsBackedFactory.java b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/IcsBackedFactory.java
index 6f84493d..a92a900f 100644
--- a/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/IcsBackedFactory.java
+++ b/gsf-core/src/main/java/tools/gsf/config/IcsBackedFactory.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 import tools.gsf.facade.assetapi.asset.TemplateAssetAccess;
 import tools.gsf.mapping.IcsMappingService;
 import tools.gsf.mapping.MappingService;
+import tools.gsf.time.LoggerStopwatch;
 import tools.gsf.time.Stopwatch;
 import tools.gsf.properties.AssetApiPropertyDao;
 import tools.gsf.properties.PropertyDao;
@@ -58,6 +59,11 @@ public IcsBackedFactory(ICS ics, Factory delegate) {
         this.ics = ics;
     }
 
+    @ServiceProducer
+    public Stopwatch newStopwatch() {
+        return LoggerStopwatch.getInstance();
+    }
+
     @ServiceProducer(cache = true, name="bindInjector")
     public Injector createBindInjector() {
         return new BindInjector(ics);