The Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, Office of Science and Engineering (OSE), Technology Centers Division (TCD) has a requirement for SME support.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to using cutting-edge science and technology to make the U.S. more secure. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) organizes and supports the scientific, engineering, and technological resources of the United States and applies these resources to produce and deploy technological tools and knowledge products to help protect the homeland. DHS S&T is organized into four main groups: Office of Mission and Capability Support, Office of Science and Engineering, Office of Innovation and Collaboration, and Office of Enterprise Services, that work together to support DHS operating Components and others in the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE). S&T is organized by functions, in which each Division plays a critical role in the execution of research and development programs benefitting homeland
security missions. Within S&T, programs are matrixed teams that draw support across the Directorate in order to accomplish program goals.

The Technology Centers Division (TCD) within the Office of Science and Engineering is the source of scientific, engineering, and technological expertise and solutions for programs, projects, and activities across S&T and DHS. S&T Technology Centers supply subject matter expertise and conduct core scientific research to provide foundational knowledge and develop cross-cutting technological solutions that address current and future homeland security challenges. The Technology Centers are responsible for three primary activities:

Subject Matter Expert Advisement: Technology Center personnel are subject matter experts (SMEs) and advise S&T programs, DHS Components, and other key stakeholders in scientific,engineering, and technology areas critical to the homeland security enterprise.
S&T Program Technical Support: The Technology Centers directly contribute to S&T programs by serving as Technical Managers and providing expert support on programs to oversee the technical activities of those programs that deliver solutions against customer-identified requirements.

Core Research: The Technology Centers conduct cross-cutting, foundational research, analysis,and experiments, to build knowledge by:

• Maintaining S&T’s technical baseline competency and awareness of the state-of-the-art/art-of-the-possible in key science, engineering, and technology areas.
• Understanding how scientific and technological advancements can be harnessed for homeland security missions – or how they may become are risk or threat.
• Determining how to secure the use of these advancements.
• Identifying methods for detecting, countering, and mitigating the misuse of these advancements.

S&T’s individual Technology Centers focus on foundational science, advanced computing, and innovative systems and technology. While these Tech Centers conduct core research, the Division also houses a cadre of senior engineering and science experts who serve as expert advisors across the Department. They and the Technology Center SMEs work together to stay abreast of enduring and cutting-edge research and contribute to activities being conducted on behalf of S&T program managers and Component customers. Additionally, these senior expert advisors are made available
to the Interagency and the Department to maintain open, collaborative relationships and address a wide range of critical problems facing the nation.

TCD works closely with S&T’s Office of Mission and Capability Support (MCS), which primarily interacts with DHS operational Components, first responders at all levels of government, emergency management personnel and public safety and other homeland security organizations to define priorities, gaps and requirements to find or develop technology solutions. MCS focuses on the following DHS mission topic areas:

• Border, Immigration and Maritime supports U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with technology solutions for their operational needs. Through research, development, testing and evaluation, S&T supports these Components in operational settings such as ports of entry (POE) and areas between POE, covering all domains, including air, ground, underground, water, and underwater.
• First Responder and Detection supports DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and first responders. Through research, development, testing and evaluation, S&T strengthens emergency managers and responders’ ability to protect the homeland by providing the tools and knowledge they need to save lives and protect property, while staying safe.
• Physical and Cyber Security supports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), United States Secret Service (USSS) and Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A). S&T conducts research, development, testing and evaluation in three main focus areas: physical security, cybersecurity, and explosives detection and mitigation. Within these focus areas S&T assesses and analyzes threats and vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure, enhancing resilience through advanced planning and mitigation, preventing and disrupting criminal use of cyberspace, strengthening the security and reliability of the cyber eco system, streamlining passenger screening, and preventing homemade explosive attacks.

To identify key personnel to provide SME support in the areas of advanced computing, such as cybersecurity, emerging computing paradigms (e.g., quantum information sciences), data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and modeling and simulation. The support staff shall assist S&T in conducting cross-cutting core research, developing its programs and their attendant projects; maintain awareness of technologies on or over the horizon; and understand the many parties, platforms, and processes inherent in a complex technology development system.

• Subject Matter Experts
  • Because S&T has aligned itself into a matrix of personnel, skills, and customers, the Contractor must both possess and enable the flexibility of thinking and organization required to execute to multiple customers’ needs across the Homeland Security Enterprise. The Contractor must be able to assist the government in responding to varied and changing circumstances and dynamic customer requirements 1 Throughout this document, we will use the term “ACB Technology Areas” to refer to: data analytics, modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence/machine learning, cyber security, and other emerging computing technical areas including quantum information sciences in an agile and flexible manner. A large portion of this requirement includes surge support requirements as much of ACB’s work is customer-driven and funded. Since many customer support requests to ACB are for urgent needs, ACB requires a capability to rapidly respond to customer requests and support from this requirement is a key part of that support response.
  • The Contractor shall support DHS S&T in the execution of both Tech Center core research that enables S&T to understand how scientific and technological advancements can be harnessed for homeland security missions and S&T’s large research and development (R&D) programs that provide solutions to current operational needs across the HSE. The program office defines and leads R&D and technology and knowledge discovery programs, and interacting with customers at the federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and international levels to improve capabilities at all levels. As needs arise based on the organizational matrix, support may be provided to any Technology Center, strategic program, R&D project, or Division within S&T in its role to provide technical expertise and support. As identified by the Government, the functions below depict the types of tasks to be initiated under Task Orders for this IDIQ.
• Program Support
  • Stakeholder Engagement Analyst (Communications)
    • The Contractor shall support working groups, project action teams, steering panels, and direct coordination with groups of stakeholders from across the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE), as requested. The contractor will be responsible for knowledge capture and documentation during these working groups.
    • The Contractor shall support related to the design and management of regular stakeholder meetings to engage stakeholders, help to shape the direction of projects, and utilize methods such as interviews, targeted working groups, panel discussions, etc. to solicit and integrate feedback, including virtual meetings and in-person meetings approved through the DHS conference approval process.
    • The Contractor shall collaborate with SMEs, DHS components, first responders, and other Federal, state, and local stakeholders to understand capability gaps and technology requirements identified in those working groups, project action teams and steering panels. The Contractor shall develop meeting reports to include attendees, key discussion points, executive summary, decisions made, and any after action items or topics addressed with pertinent discussion.
    • The Contractor may be required to engage other stakeholders including industry, academia, associations, and international partners in coordination with the appropriate groups across
    • The Contractor should be aware of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and be prepared to support program office compliance with FACA. The Contractor shall support the development of S&T stakeholder directories, in accordance with S&T Privacy Office guidance.
    • The Contractor shall produce outreach materials, publications, models, and templates to promote S&T programs, projects, research activities, initiatives, and partnerships to key audiences, including stakeholders, DHS leadership, Congress, and the public.
    • The Contractor shall coordinate communications and outreach activities and materials with S&T’s Communications and Outreach Division (COD) and applicable S&T leadership. The Contractor shall, at the direction of OSE, support the following activities:
    • The Contractor shall coordinate with portfolio, program, and project managers, SMEs, leadership and COD to develop written and oral communications products. Products to include but not limited to press releases, newsletters, web content, knowledge products and social media–for S&T, HSE and key partners awareness of OSE products, services, and accomplishments.
    • The Contractor shall develop overarching Communications Plans for the OSE Front Office as well Technology Centers that will detail who/what/when/how the government will communicate with targeted audiences. The Contractor shall also help to develop corresponding Implementation Plans, as appropriate for the scope of the initiative. The Contractor shall design and develop outreach materials, presentations, fact sheets, press releases, publications, newsletters, social media posts, collateral, models, templates, and other documents in accordance with each Communications Plan.
    • The Contractor shall have existing relationships with relevant media and scientific associations to support external communications, and the Contractor shall be skilled to harness these relationships to advance OSE work.
    • The Contractor shall support the development of videos, webinars, townhall meetings, conference presentations and other mechanisms to engage stakeholders to provide information on current OSE projects, initiatives, and priorities.
    • The Contractor, through close coordination with COD, shall make updates to the Project 25 Compliance Assessment Program website to inform stakeholders on the latest program updates. In addition, the Contractor shall work in coordination with Federal program managers to assess and refine website layout of project information for ease of use for core audiences.
    • The Contractor shall develop and implement conference and event planning strategies for upcoming conferences, including activities such as analyzing strategic goals and objectives to determine what conferences would be most beneficial to attend in an effort to engage desired stakeholders. This will require analyzing and coordinating topics for presentations and writing panel submissions and creating slide presentations that assist S&T in maximizing its effectiveness and ensure that the needs of the stakeholders are met.
    • The contractor, in coordination with S&T portfolio, program, and project managers, SMEs, and leadership shall develop knowledge products such as lessons learned documents, after-action reports, best practices, case studies, regulatory documents and communications mechanisms.
    • The Contractor shall identify mechanisms to disseminate knowledge products to the HSE, relevant partners, and/or the public. The Contractor shall coordinate with portfolio, program, and project managers, SMEs, and leadership to evaluate existing activities and identify needed knowledge products.
• Technical Writer Support
• Program and Project Management Support /Strategic Technology Coordinator