FFRDCs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use a local university for some engineering / scientific work. Work is performed by *cleared* US citizens who are FT faculty or FT research staff — no students involved. Their overhead is about 55%, meaning we would pay $1.55 per hour if the university pays the employee $1.00 per hour. That overhead covers benefits, retirement, facilities, Computers, printers, and so on.

If they can do this at 55%, I do not understand why some other non-profit is charging 70%, 80%, or more in overhead.

Well for one researchers and faculty at universities have no idea how much their presence contributes to overhead. Frankly neither does the
University. At 55% your work is being subsidized by other University revenue streams. A faculty member who has job security and other benefits costs far less than a FFRDC employee.

[Anonymous]

https://controller.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs4701/files/2024-05/dhhs_fy2025_fringe_benefit_rate_agreement_05292024.pdf

Just go to GWU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://controller.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs4701/files/2024-05/dhhs_fy2025_fringe_benefit_rate_agreement_05292024.pdf

Just go to GWU.

61%??? No reason for FFRDCs to have 70%, 80%, or 90% overhead rates.

[Anonymous]

Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

umm.... why is there so much variation in overhead between FFRDCs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use a local university for some engineering / scientific work. Work is performed by *cleared* US citizens who are FT faculty or FT research staff — no students involved. Their overhead is about 55%, meaning we would pay $1.55 per hour if the university pays the employee $1.00 per hour. That overhead covers benefits, retirement, facilities, Computers, printers, and so on.

If they can do this at 55%, I do not understand why some other non-profit is charging 70%, 80%, or more in overhead.

Well for one researchers and faculty at universities have no idea how much their presence contributes to overhead. Frankly neither does the
University. At 55% your work is being subsidized by other University revenue streams. A faculty member who has job security and other benefits costs far less than a FFRDC employee.

I don’t know, but they have different business models and have different missions. Lawrence Livermore National Labs and IDA’s Systems and Analyses Centers are cases in point. Some develop and build technology. Others so analyses, including in depth cross cutting studies that would be difficult for the government to do. FFRDCs are repositories of human capital which are there in an on demand way and would be basically impossible for individual government organizations to hold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

100% that is probably why RAND is (smartly) reducing office space since few are using it regularly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

Your average doctor's office has been like this forever. 13 empty exam rooms and huge empty waiting rooms while something like 4 front-office/back-office clerks handle paper work, and two nurse's aids, one nurse and maybe two doctors medically staff the place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

Your average doctor's office has been like this forever. 13 empty exam rooms and huge empty waiting rooms while something like 4 front-office/back-office clerks handle paper work, and two nurse's aids, one nurse and maybe two doctors medically staff the place.

No wonder healthcare costs are so high!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

You can't just easily terminate leases and sell buildings, it takes time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

100% that is probably why RAND is (smartly) reducing office space since few are using it regularly!

Maybe they can use the $ saved to speed up the time it takes to get our office our final reports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

You can't just easily terminate leases and sell buildings, it takes time.

agreed-especially in the current environment. Note - Mitre 4 is designed to allow per floor leasing were anyone interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Universities get tuition which offsets faculty costs. Researchers are funded by so-called "soft money" which means that when it goes away, they can be out of a job. FFRDCs don't have tuition and can have high costs related to security requirements, including maintaining facilities where classified work is done, the security staff to ensure compliance, and special computer systems.

MITRE maintains several really nice office buildings in prime Tysons area, with many empty offices for staff who work offsite or work from home. I haven’t worked there for a few years but when I did, I had my own office in a SCIF even though I mainly worked at sponsor sites. When I returned to work at my MITRE office for meetings, I’d regularly wander through a mostly empty building. I didn’t need an office, just an occasional squatting space… Such a waste $$$!

You can't just easily terminate leases and sell buildings, it takes time.

agreed-especially in the current environment. Note - Mitre 4 is designed to allow per floor leasing were anyone interested.

I thought it was true for Mitre 3 too

[Anonymous]

Let's see if MITRE has more layoffs and they close Bldgs to match the reduction