SETA Support for DHS S&T Office of Science and Engineering

In 2020, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (DHS S&T) awarded G&H International Services, Inc (G&H) and AECOM a multi-year contract to supply Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) to the DHS S&T Office of Science and Engineering (OSE).  This project was awarded under DHS S&T’s SETA III indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract set up to supply advisory and technical support services for research, development, and test and evaluation for homeland-security related technologies.  G&H’s support to OSE extends to the Technology Scouting and Transition Division and the Technology Centers Division.  Within the Technology Scouting and Transition (TST) Division, G&H supplies consulting services that support several branches within TST.

The Technology Scouting Branch works with federal program managers and DHS components to find and research available or emerging technologies that may be relevant to address capability gaps or mission needs of all DHS components.  DHS components Tech Scouting works with include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Secret Service, as well as several DHS S&T offices, to include Mission and Capability Support and the Office of Science and Engineering.  G&H supports operational workflows within Tech Scouting, to include fielding requests from DHS Components for Tech Scouting reports and research; supplies communications on Tech Scouting activities and findings through publishing an internal Tech Scouting newsletter; and supplies records management of Tech Scouting content.  G&H has also been at the forefront for enabling adoption of the ServiceNow Platform within the branch to track and manage Technology Scouting requests. 

The Technology Transition Branch provides transition support services, job aids, and training to help with the uptake and adoption of S&T-funded research and development solutions.  With G&H’s support, the Tech Transition Branch has engaged DHS project managers in developing transition plans for their projects and is developing metrics for measuring success of transitioned projects.   Specific accomplishments that have been achieved include:

• Supported the reorganization of transition activities from transition planning to management whereby contract staff handle planning, coordination, and performance management of all S&T research and development (DHS components as well as National Laboratories, and colleges and universities).  The scope and scale of this work required a reset of the transition office to develop the ability of program managers to make transition an integral part of program management and for transition managers to coordinate the requirements of transition outlined in S&T’s business process flow.
• Enhanced ServiceNow workflow processes to efficiently manage hundreds of transition activities.
• Defined and implemented new solution development and transition processes that support the newly designed S&T matrixed organization.
• Organized the collection, validation, and verification of hundreds of R&D projects across the S&T enterprise that led to prioritization of resource allocation.
• Facilitated a strategic planning process that informed an action plan to drive performance management in FY21 and beyond.

The Technology Clearinghouse supplies a portal for relevant, authoritative, prompt, and actionable information on homeland security technologies, resources, and capabilities.  G&H supports the clearinghouse by supplying guidance for expanding access to the clearinghouse to organizations outside of DHS and for finding and contributing content relevant to state and local first responder and emergency management organizations.  G&H has used its experience working with the emergency management and first responder communities to develop use cases and requirements that will significantly improve the functionality of the Technology Clearinghouse for these user groups.  G&H has also led efforts to define a strategy for the Technology Clearinghouse to ensure that it meets DHS S&T’s mission.  

Additionally, G&H supports S&T’s Technology Centers Division (TCD), which conducts foundational research in cross-cutting scientific, engineering, and technology areas.  G&H supports the division in managing fiscal year budgets and procurements in the TCD front office and supporting various technology centers.  The Technology Centers we support include:

• Biometrics and Identity Technology Center (BI-TC):  Focuses on biometric research, technology, methods, and tools, such as facial recognition and contactless fingerprinting.   Throughout its processes, BI-TC works to protect sensitive personal information.  G&H is supporting BI-TC’s execution of its highly acclaimed Biometric Technology Rally, which tests biometric and identity technologies, using hundreds of diverse volunteers. During the most recent Rally, acquisition systems were evaluated based on their ability to reliably take images of each volunteer with and without face masks.
• Social Sciences Technology Center (SS-TC): Studies the individual, social, and economic implications of technological advances and ways to increase adoption and use, as well as methods for countering violent extremism and terrorism prevention.  G&H is involved with many real-world SS-TC activities, including its work with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). This project is designed to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on terrorism and targeted violence in the United States.
• Modeling and Simulation Technology Center (MS-TC): Conducts rapid prototyping of tools to model and simulate training, operational, threat forecasting, and incident response environments.  G&H is supporting MS-TC in setting up an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of the Navy. The partnership will allow S&T to work with industry and academia on research and development for new modeling and simulation technology solutions.

With its 15+ years of experience supporting DHS S&T projects and programs, G&H is excited to be part of a SETA III contractor team helping DHS S&T fulfill its critical mission to provide the homeland security community with innovative solutions to the nation’s homeland security challenges.