SAIC wins preparedness work

Homeland Security Department officials have awarded a $20 million contract to a team led by Science Applications International Corp. to help enhance infrastructure preparedness at the state and local levels.

SAIC will provide technical assistance to the department's Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness, which helps states, municipalities, port authorities and mass transit agencies develop, plan and implement effective strategies for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) preparedness.

The program requires application of a SAIC-developed methodology to "compare relative risk between critical assets in order to identify and prioritize needs in terms of security countermeasures, as well as response and recovery capability enhancements," according to a press release.

"SAIC security, risk and emergency response and recovery specialists will combine their knowledge of the WMD terrorism response domain with their understanding of the needs of emergency responders to develop effective preparedness and response strategies compliant with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, National Preparedness," said Phil Lacombe, senior vice president and general manager of SAIC's Integrated Systems and Security business unit, in the release.

SAIC's team also includes Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, a planning, engineering, and program and construction management firm; Digital Sandbox, which has developed risk management and analytics software; the Lafayette Group, a consulting firm; Transportation Resource Associates, a security and safety consulting and software firm; and MILVETS Systems Technology, an information technology company.

The one-year contract has two option years for a cumulative value of almost $20 million.