The Department of State is intent on getting their own Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to facilitate their engagement of cutting-edge expertise rather than rely on FFRDCs and procurement mechanisms run by other Departments.
They have issued a Request for Information that sketches out three requirements:
- Diplomacy and Modernization to strengthen global engagement and humanitarian outcomes
- Global CyberTech Solutions, focusing on IT, cyber-defense, systems engineering and data analytics
- Global Operations and Acquisition for collaboration and cutting-edge acquisition methodologies, tools and data assessments.
Federal Drive’s Tom Temin’s recent interview of State’s procurement executive suggests they are looking for expedited access to expertise. Duplicating what other Departments and Agencies can already provide is an expensive option. As the saying goes, “you can have it quick, cheap or good, but you can’t have all three.”
USAID and other federal entities may be able to order from State’s FFRDC. When this happens, don’t expect many competitive solicitations to be issued for this work.