FFRDC, any of approximately 40 organizations that assist the U.S. government with scientific research and analysis, development and acquisition of new technologies, and systems engineering and integration. FFRDCs are sponsored by government agencies and administered by colleges and universities, other nonprofit institutions, and industrial firms to address complex long-term problems that cannot be handled by any other single organization by objectively analyzing technical questions and providing creative and cost-effective solutions to government problems. Sponsoring agencies include the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and Treasury; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Science Foundation; and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
FFRDCs operate as long-term strategic partners with their sponsoring agencies; however, in an effort to ensure the highest levels of objectivity, they are organized as independent entities with limitations and restrictions on their activities. In 1947 the RAND Corporation became the first formal FFRDC. (However, Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, which was created by the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1942 to build weapons systems, was the first organization to follow the FFRDC model.)
Because of the unique position of FFRDCs, the 1984 Competition in Contracting Act (which provided federal executive branch agencies with policy and procedures for contracting) specifically authorized agencies to use noncompetitive procedures as needed to establish and maintain FFRDCs. This is an exception to the general rule requiring the use of full and open competition specified by the act. Most federal agencies that sponsor FFRDCs do not use competitive procedures to maintain their FFRDCs on expiration of the contract terms.
The FFRDCs have a special relationship with the government organizations they serve. They have access, beyond what is common in a normal contractual relationship, to government and private data, including sensitive and proprietary information, as well as to federal employees and facilities. The FFRDCs are prohibited from manufacturing products, competing with industry, or working for commercial companies, which allows industry and government to provide them with sensitive information.
Sponsors conduct comprehensive periodic reviews of their FFRDCs to ensure the quality, efficiency, and appropriateness of the work program. The practical results of the FFRDCs’ work is made available to the public through methods such as cooperative research and development, technology licensing, open-source participation, and contributions to industry standards.