New Protégé Company Specializes in Intelligence and Surveillance

Meet Cambridge International Systems, Inc., one of the newest companies in Science Applications International Corporation's (SAIC's) mentor-protégé program. Cambridge, which already has a strong association with SAIC, provides intelligence and surveillance services as well as communications networks and operational support to government and commercial clients.

"We were actually looking for a mentor that would be fully engaged and committed to the program, and SAIC came with those credentials," said Kimberly Harokopus, founder and chief executive officer of Cambridge. "We've had a healthy, robust working relationship with SAIC for a number of years, making a formal agreement a natural progression."

Cambridge has served as an SAIC subcontractor, supporting the company on a wide range of projects and proposals, including a program that provides engineering services for a military information system on a worldwide basis.

"The relationship and our mentor-protégé beginnings grew out of that," said David Lee, Jr., an SAIC program manager. "We look for companies that complement what we do, and we have a very good relationship with them. It just seemed like a good fit all the way around."

The Right Solutions in Tough Situations

Cambridge uses a varied strategic approach to tackle a host of communication and national security issues, from satellite earth stations and communications centers to network design and infrastructure operations. Its solutions assist in a wide-range of fields, including telecommunications, surveillance, narcotics operations, and infrastructure building around the globe.

One area of expertise for Cambridge is intelligence fusion — the process of managing the flow of information and intelligence across levels and sectors of government and the private arena to support the quick identification of terrorism-related and other criminal threats requiring intervention by authorities.

For example, Cambridge helped design and implement an intelligence center in Afghanistan, where specialists gather information from global positioning systems, human intelligence, and coalition partners. This effort has provided actionable intelligence to national security partners, allowing sizable seizures of illicit drugs and chemical precursors and has led to the identification and dismantling of smuggling rings inside and outside of Afghanistan.

As the company has grown, it has taken on a broader scope of responsibilities, including providing support in areas where conflict has made setting up traditional intelligence and communication systems difficult.

"We have the ability to deliver communications, surveillance, and intelligence solutions in very low infrastructure, austere, and high-threat environments," said Harokopus, noting the company has had employees in Afghanistan since 2004. "It goes directly to the non-traditional, asymmetrical warfare we've seen over the last decade. We work in those mission areas and environments to help us develop capabilities to deliver better solutions. Our ability to work well with our end users is key because we can provide them constant, flexible support."

Collaboration Bolsters Competencies

The three-year mentor-protégé agreement between the companies comes at a perfect time, according to Harokopus.

"We had to get to the point where our infrastructure was mature enough to make us a strong industry teammate with SAIC but still in a position to benefit from mentor-protégé relations," she said. "SAIC is stepping in at a time when we have the business maturity to know what we don't have and what we need."

SAIC will assist Cambridge in several ways, including providing technology transfer, training, and certifications that help it ensure ongoing compliance with reporting and regulatory requirements issued by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). SAIC will also provide assistance with costing, which can help improve Cambridge's ability to develop proposals that are more competitive. In addition, SAIC will help Cambridge develop a career progression and human resources management program to provide managers with the framework to attract, hire, and retain a qualified workforce.

"We look at every area in the company and try to determine what we can do to help them over the three-year period," Lee said. "The whole purpose is to make them a viable DoD prime contractor."

Rich History, Promising Future

Harokopus is enthusiastic about formalizing the relationship between SAIC and her company and utilizing many of the resources a large company like SAIC has to offer.

"It is very beneficial to be able to tap into SAIC subject matter experts in the technology or business infrastructure arenas," she said. "Having a formal agreement with SAIC also gives us a kind of stamp of approval within the company."

SAIC has a long history in the federal mentor-protégé arena, working with more than 90 small businesses over the last 20-plus years and winning 14 DoD Nunn-Perry awards. This agreement with Cambridge is through DoD's Mentor Protégé Program, which assists small businesses in successfully competing for prime contracts and subcontracts by being mentored by large companies.

Cambridge Looks to Expand Reach

Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Cambridge is a certified 8(a) woman-owned and veteran-owned small business founded by Harokopus after her career in the U.S. Air Force. The company has won an Air Force small business award and was named to Washington Technology's "Fast 50" as one of the fast-growing information technology companies in the federal sector.

In addition to a large overseas contingent, Cambridge has employees in regional offices in Tampa, Fla., San Diego, Calif., and Puerto Rico. And while Cambridge has delivered services and solutions to customers in 22 different countries, they are hoping to expand their reach with additional support from SAIC.

"SAIC takes its job as a mentor very seriously and they have the Nunn-Perry awards to back up that claim," Harokopus said. "We are looking forward to working hand-in-glove."