Businesses band to launch homeland security association

The homeland security arena has grown to the point that dozens of businesses will launch the Homeland Security Industries Association on Wednesday.

Two executives from security firms-Bruce deGrazia, vice president of Springfield, Va.-based Versar, and Joseph D'Agostino, executive vice president of Haynes Security in Newark, N.J.-have spearheaded creation of the group. Its mission is to provide a mechanism for the government to coordinate with the private sector on homeland security issues, including uses of information technology for homeland security.

"Everyone from [White House Homeland Security Director Tom] Ridge to California Democratic Rep.] Jane Harman have talked about the need to coordinate with private industry, and right now there is no vehicle to do so," said Bruce Aitken, managing partner at Aitken Irvin Berlin & Vrooman, who will be president of the new association. "So we will create industry-sector adviser groups ... so that industries can provide input" to the government.

The development of the association stemmed from policy discussions over the past month among about 50 companies and groups, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Science Applications International Corp. and the Computer and Communications Industry Association. They considered ways to make their ideas known to the Bush administration and Congress.

On Wednesday, seven companies will present position papers on port security, airport security, information technology security, physical infrastructure protection, information-sharing technology, best business practices, and bioagent, radiological and nuclear security.

The association also plans to provide a tracking service of all federal, state and local government requests for proposals on homeland security contracts.

Aitken said the service could be especially helpful to small and medium-sized businesses trying to crack into the homeland security contracting business. In addition, it will provide a forum for large defense and government contractors to meet with smaller subcontractors.

"For example, Haynes Security is well known in the New York metropolitan area ... but they aren't so well known in San Francisco or Atlanta, so having an association where they can get to know and team with eligible companies makes great sense ... especially for small companies," Aitken said.

The group is developing a Web site, but it remains under construction, Aitken said. In addition, it is not clear how many companies will become members, but the association plans to fund itself through the services it provides through the tracking system. It also plans to continue to hold homeland security policy forums and charge a nominal attendance fee.

"We don't want to lose ideas. ... Even if a company can't afford to join us ... we still want their ideas to be known," he said. "We don't want a select small group of companies to decide what is best on homeland security."