Studies, Science, Cybersecurity & Saddam: $888.8M to IDA for its 3 US FFRDCs from 2014-2018.

The Institute for Defense Analysis in Alexandria, VA recently received a 5-year indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $888.8 million, for research and analysis from the 3 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) they run. Just to give you some of the flavor, IDA’s recent Research Notes [PDF] publication includes “The Saddam Tapes: The Inner Workings Of A Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001”, as well as briefings covering cloud computing security, rates and causes of rotorcraft casualties from 2001 – 2009, etc.

FFRDC?

FFRDCs are non-profit companies that provides technical analyses and assessments for US national security and space programs, and their program contracts aren’t competitively processed. Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute is one of several university-run FFRDCs, but many of the 39 are managed by a range of non-profit contractors, from The Aerospace Corp. to MITRE, IDA, et. al.

Under this contract, the IDA-run The Studies and Analyses Center, Science and Technology Policy Institute, and Center for Communications and Computing are available for work on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the joint staff, combatant commands, defense agencies, joint program offices, and other users as specified in the sponsoring agreement.

Work will be performed primarily in Alexandria, VA, and will run until the end of FY 2018. Washington Headquarters Services in Washington, DC manages the contract (HQ0034-14-D-0001).