Company to help Navy improve how people, technology interact

Rite Solutions, a Rhode Island small business has won a $14.6 million contract modification with the U.S. Navy to work on improving how people and technology interact.

Under the contract, the company will provide human systems integration processes for command decision modules and supporting infrastructures, command and control center configurations and other technical support work associated with Navy submarines, surface and air platforms, the Defense Department said.

According to the Defense Acquisition University's ACQuipedia, human systems integration is the relationship between people and technology. It takes into account the different roles people play such as operator, maintainer and trainer and the different hardware and software systems they interact with. It's guiding principle is to ensure a safe and effective relationship between people and the systems that meets the mission.

Human systems integration processes include the "integrated and comprehensive analysis, design and assessment of requirements, concepts and resources for system manpower, personnel, training, safety and occupational health, habitability, personnel survivability, and human factors engineering," according to ACQuipedia.

Rite Solutions will perform most of the work on the contract in Middletown, R.I., and is expected to be completed by May 2014.

Funding in the amount of $283,000 was obligated at the time of the award, and will not expire at the end of fiscal 2013.

This contract was created through the Small Business Innovative Research Topic N05-149 - Combat Systems of the Future, the Defense Department said.