Cornell House

Cornell House supports the Information Technology Development and Sustainment office within the Federal Emergency Management Agency by managing acquisition activities critical to modernizing national emergency response systems. Responsible for end-to-end procurement of custom software solutions, House ensures that IT initiatives—from grant management platforms to emergency kiosk technologies—are delivered with operational resilience and scalability. Their work directly enables the agency’s mission to sustain high-availability digital infrastructure for disaster response, watch center operations, and equitable public assistance tools. All acquisitions fall under the domain of custom computer programming services, emphasizing agile development, secure cloud integration, and system interoperability across federal, state, and local emergency networks. House cultivates partnerships with a diverse range of IT service providers, primarily engaging firms capable of delivering secure, mission-critical software development and system sustainment. While no single contractor dominates the portfolio, the procurement pattern reflects a balanced approach between established systems integrators and innovative small businesses capable of rapid iteration and compliance with federal cybersecurity standards such as NIST SP 800-53 and FedRAMP. Vendor relationships are built on proven technical capability, past performance in federal emergency contexts, and adherence to secure development lifecycle practices. A strong commitment to small business participation is evident in the agency’s contracting patterns, with over one-third of acquisitions set aside for total small business concerns under FAR 19.5. Though no specific socioeconomic set-asides like 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB are predominant, the consistent use of small business set-asides signals a deliberate strategy to foster innovation and expand vendor diversity within the emergency IT ecosystem. The office’s exclusive focus on NAICS 541511 underscores a deep specialization in custom software development, including enterprise-grade applications for grant administration, real-time situational awareness systems, and public-facing digital kiosks. Technical expertise centers on secure, scalable architectures built with modern frameworks, API-driven integration, and compliance with DHS cybersecurity requirements, ensuring that all delivered solutions meet the demanding needs of emergency response operations.