SiloSmashers lands USCIS work

SiloSmashers Inc. will help U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with a major transformation of its business processes under a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $31.4 million.

It is the largest federal contract to date for the Fairfax, Va., company, which is classified as an American Indian- and woman-owned small business, said Judy Cohen, SiloSmashers' vice president of business transformation. The USCIS Transformation Program Office contract was won under a full and open competition, she added.

Company officials say they expect to assign about 35 employees to the project and increase their staff, though they have not yet determined an amount. SiloSmashers has also subcontracted with Washington-based Atlas Group Ltd. for support.

The USCIS Transformation Program Office, led by Dan Renaud, is spearheading recent efforts to modernize information systems and move the agency into a paperless, fully electronic environment. The agency processes more than 7 million applications a year from immigrants, refugees and other foreign residents and maintains about 55 million files on immigrants, which are typically stored for 75 years.

The overall transformation program is expected to cost more than $500 million through 2013. USCIS is expected to award a separate contract soon for updating its information technology systems through the Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions program.

SiloSmashers said it was awarded the management support task order under the General Services Administration's Mission Oriented Business Integrated Services program.

The company will provide support services that include program management operations, oversight, assessment and planning; program management analysis and implementation; and contract management and administration. It will also handle public relations, communications and outreach and operational change and training.