Countering Biological Weapons Threats and Protecting U.S. Biotechnology

The Department of State, through the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Cooperative Threat Reduction office, is seeking subject matter experts to counter biological weapons threats and protect U.S. biotechnology. This initiative focuses on developing and implementing international training programs to enhance biosecurity, cybersecurity, physical security, and research oversight. These efforts aim to protect sensitive data, equipment, and scientific expertise from theft or misuse while promoting U.S. leadership in biotechnology through the establishment of public-private partnerships and the promotion of global standards for intellectual property and data security. Additionally, the contract involves engaging biotechnology firms and academic institutions on Know-Your-Customer and investor protocols to prevent adversarial capital investment and the unauthorized acquisition of intellectual property. The scope of work also includes performing targeted physical and digital security upgrades to laboratories to secure weaponizable pathogens and other biological weapon applicable materials. This forecast covers performance across multiple international locations under NAICS code 541690.