HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Strategic Services Division’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center and University-affiliated Research Center Branch received the 2025 Air Force Materiel Command Outstanding Contracting Unit - Enterprise Award last month.
The award recognizes the branch’s efforts to renew agreements valued at $30 billion, extending partnerships with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University Software Institute for 10 years.
“This past year was a significant year for our team,” said Chris Linskey, FFRDC and UARC branch chief of contracting. “We had two large 10-year FFRDC contracts that were renewed with a total value of approximately $30 billion. We also implemented transformative changes to the third FFRDC contract, which is MITRE.”
The award also highlights the branch’s uninterrupted delivery of modern infrastructure and national security research and development projects.
The branch manages a $36 billion portfolio of four contracts on behalf of the primary sponsor, Office of the Secretary of War for Research and Engineering.
Three of the defense FFRDC contracts provide support services for the Pentagon.
“I’m very proud of the exemplary dedication of Chris Linskey, the contracting professionals in the FFRDC and UARC branch, and their cross-functional teammates,” said Scott Owens, Strategic Services Division director. “This award is a well-deserved recognition of their excellence and strategic impact to our national security.”
The award also recognizes the branch’s impact by maximizing contracting efficiencies, including reducing the MITRE National Security Engineering contract award timeline from four months to one week. The contract supports the Air and Space Forces and the nation’s top national security projects.
The FFRDC and UARC branch will now compete at the Air Force level.
The Strategic Services Division, headquartered at Hanscom AFB, delivers contracted knowledge-based advisory and assistance services to program executive officers in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.
The division also provides contracted FFRDC technical staff and advanced research and development, software engineering and systems engineering capabilities to the Department of War and other federal agencies.
More information about the division is available on the AFLCMC website.