70RSAT26D00000001 - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) - Award Notice

The contract awarded to the MITRE Corporation establishes the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI) as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to provide specialized, independent systems engineering and integration support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The scope focuses on addressing critical homeland security needs—including border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity, maritime dominance, and national security events—through the evaluation of emerging technologies, development of prototypes, optimization of system designs, establishment of technical standards and best practices, and creation of realistic test environments. The contract is structured as an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award with a base year plus two option years, with an estimated ceiling value of $400 million. Task orders under this contract may be issued on Firm-Fixed-Price, Time-and-Materials, or Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee bases. This non-competitive award, justified under statutory authority specific to FFRDCs (41 U.S.C. § 3304(a)(3)(B) and FAR 35.402), emphasizes MITRE's unique institutional knowledge and irreplaceable expertise developed since 2009. The contract ensures continuity in highly specialized systems engineering functions critical to DHS mission areas, with four principal functional areas: capability planning and delivery, emerging threat exploration, independent test and evaluation, and cross-agency enterprise integration. The contractor operates primarily from McLean, Virginia, supporting DHS nationwide. Oversight and acceptance are the responsibility of DHS, with the government maintaining inspection authority to ensure deliverables meet established FAR standards and technical requirements. The contract includes provisions safeguarding objectivity and independence typical of an FFRDC, mitigating organizational conflicts of interest, and requiring adherence to government-prescribed technical and operational standards. Although no detailed line-item pricing or proposal evaluation factors exist due to the non-competitive nature of the award, the contract incorporates comprehensive administrative frameworks and funding structures to support sustained, mission-critical research and development activities within DHS.