Areté Associates is an advanced science and engineering company with more than 30 years’ experience providing innovative solutions to the most challenging technical problems faced by the United States military and the intelligence community. Our core competencies include the following:

Over the course of the last 30+ years, the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Joint Staff, and elements of the Intelligence Community have funded Areté Associates to develop advanced capabilities, conduct studies and analyses, and develop operational concepts and tactics that span the Seaport Focus Areas discussed below.  During these three plus decades, our technical breadth and depth have grown consistently to our current employee base of 350. Although still a Small Business under NAICS Code 541712, with a size standard of <500 employees, Areté has developed a unique breadth enabling us to span the range of new-capability development from 6.2-level Exploratory Development to Low-Rate Initial Production. 

 

Areté encompasses a great depth of experience over a broad range of scientific, technical, and management disciplines. This experience provides our customers with comprehensive solutions to critical problems. Nearly half of our technical workforce has advanced degrees. Our team includes nationally and internationally recognized experts in oceanography, remote sensing, physical modeling, signal processing, strategic analysis, and policy studies. Areté applies a "best athlete" approach in staffing our projects by drawing expertise from across the company to optimally address our customers' requirements.

 

Areté is bringing additional technical depth and breadth to the Government by the addition of five small business team mates. Each of these team mates has worked with Areté in the past and has demonstrated an equal commitment to quality and customer support. These team mates include Aviation Systems Engineering Company, Advanced Technology Applications, Hofstadter Analytical Services, M7 Electro-Optics, and The Sensor Group. Current teaming agreements are in place with each of these companies, and Areté intends to continue to search out qualified small businesses to add to the team over time. The specific expertise of each of these team mates is highlighted below.

 

ASEC is an engineering services firm specializing in aviation system development, analysis, and testing.  ASEC provides engineering, technical labor and materials for technology assessment, systems engineering, hardware/software design and development, and laboratory and field-testing.  ASEC specializes in providing developmental and operational aviation systems engineering with a focus on maritime manned and unmanned aircraft and avionics.  Our aviation systems engineering expertise extends to mission systems and sensors, development of operational concepts/prototypes, performance-based requirements definition of new/modified avionics, testing of new/modified avionics, training, maintenance, and life-cycle support.   Areas of support include Flight Information Systems, Electro-Optics, Acoustics and Mission Sensors.

 

ATA's mission is to provide greater synergy between operational and intelligence forces. This goal is accomplished through improved communications, data acquisition, intelligence fusion, and innovative approaches that are all linked to mission specific Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) force mixes and capabilities. The net effect of combining these disciplines is a smarter and quicker U.S. force across the broad spectrum of war, stability, and peace keeping operations. ATA provides technical services in the areas of: Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A) Studies, Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Analysis and Development, Concept of Employment (CONEMPS) Analysis and Development, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) Development and Evaluation, Analysis and Assessments of Threat Systems and Tactics, Development of Threat Counter-Tactics, Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA), Electrical & Computer Engineering, Risk Management, Program Management, Statistical Analysis, Engineering Trade Studies, Cost Estimation, and Metric Development (Measures of Effectiveness and Measures of Performance).

Hofstadter Analytical Services (HAS) specializes in structural, thermal and multi-physics analysis of opto-mechanical systems, sensors, and electronic devices. Their experience includes thermal and structural analysis of laboratory-based equipment; airborne, watercraft, and ground vehicle-based sensors; vacuum and spacecraft-based instruments; and telescopes and astronomical hardware. HAS also has experience in designing and analyzing thermal control systems, in hardening commercial-grade equipment to withstand severe vibration and shock environments, and in establishing design environments for specialized equipment.

 

M7 is the prime contractor on an on-going, multi-year, multimillion dollar R&D contract to develop advanced high-voltage, multi-kilowatt electron-beam generation systems. These systems are required to be compact, rugged, efficient, and lightweight. The systems are being designed to pass military qualification testing. M7 personnel have a combined 130 years experience building ruggedized hardware for environments ranging from undersea to outer space. Multiple subject matter experts in the areas of high voltage system design and electron gun design are subcontracted through M7 to provide all the expertise necessary to successfully complete the project. M7 and its subcontractors have conducted component and design trade-off studies and are currently building a brassboard system for proof-of-concept testing.

 

TSG specializes in delivering advanced sensor technology to customers requiring exacting performance. TSG has significant experience delivering high performance focal plane array technology.  Standard offerings are digital imaging systems providing any or all of high speed, low noise and large formats with bonded fiber faceplates.  Their laboratory and analytical capabilities encompass component and system performance so that customers are provided with timely, accurate, physics-based support in the development, manufacture and deployment of products. TSG has been delivering high speed CCD and CMOS imaging technology for over five years to multiple production programs serving US Military needs. They have a line of high speed, low noise imaging sensors that have been adapted to many uses, including both 2D and 3D imaging applications.   TSG builds products for both commercial and military applications, addressing the shock/vibe/thermal requirements accordingly.

 

Functional Area	Areté	ASEC	ATA	Hofstadter	M7	TSG
3.1 R&D Support	x	x	x	x	x	x
3.2 Engineering Support	x	x	x	x		x
3.3 Modeling	x		x	x		x
3.4 Prototyping	x	x				x
3.5 System Des Doc/Tech Data		x				x
3.6 Software	x	x				x

 

Recent Task Orders Received

Newly awarded MAC. No task orders yet received.

Customer Satisfaction POCs

Areté is quality-focused rather than volume-focused. We seek and solve the Nation’s most daunting operational challenges and support the combat-capability-development process from concept development to product delivery. Areté employees take pride in their innovative work and are enthusiastically committed to maintaining the corporate ethos of excellence. Areté meets this expectation by sustaining a corporate culture that attracts innovators dedicated to the highest quality product and by sustaining active efforts to identify and hire the finest talent available. Our performance appraisal system explicitly evaluates employees on their contributions to quality work; Professional Achievement Awards are presented by the Board of Directors regularly throughout the year to those who perform at a noteworthy level.

 

The close association Areté Project Managers (PMs) maintain with their customers is the greatest assurance of quality performance. Although Areté products and services vary widely by functional area, a common commitment to excellence in innovation begins with a solid understanding of the problem or requirement addressed in the contract. Iterative interaction continues between the PM and the customer throughout the contract effort. In all endeavors Areté managers establish a close professional relationship with the customer and use customer-driven standards of excellence to measure quality, performance, and success. Our management approach is relationship focused. Our quality standards are customer determined. Our commitment to excellence is reinforced by active program managers who lead their Areté teammates to exceed expectation and to exceed defined standards of success. Areté’s consistent record of outstanding contract performance and quality are plainly reflected in our contract performance ratings.

 

In addition to close PM involvement with customers, Areté PMs participate with the Areté CEO in quarterly program reviews to ensure contractual performance goals are being met and that all PMs are appropriately resourced. This internal quality assurance process closely connects the Areté corporate leadership with the PMs who are interacting with customers. The open door policy at all levels enables rapid problem resolution if a problem arises.

 

While the above discussion addresses general quality across the spectrum of Areté work, our engineering and prototyping work require a formalized Quality Management System (QMS). Areté’s QMS is documented in a four tier system which includes our Quality Manual, Quality System Procedures, Work Instructions, and Process Records. The QMS is intended to document, implement, and maintain the quality system and to provide for continuous improvement within the requirements of the AS9100 standard. Management is responsible for providing the resources necessary to accomplish product realization and monitor the processes for improvement. The guiding principle behind this interaction is a focus on customer satisfaction. Quality discipline is the responsibility of all employees. Management is committed to providing the resources, training, and oversight to ensure that quality procedures are consistently applied. Management also provides our quality representatives with the authority to independently verify compliance with quality procedures. A closed loop corrective action plan provides a mechanism for continuous quality improvement. All employees are encouraged to identify areas for improvement.

 

New employees are indoctrinated into the Areté Quality Policy as part of their initial employee orientation, and quality awareness is reinforced through annual briefings. The employee’s supervisor will identify and provide specific quality training, as required by job assignment. Employee briefing and training records are maintained by the Human Resources department.

 

Areté processes are also ISO 9000 and CMM Level 2 certified.

 

Responsiveness to and cooperation with customers as well as maintaining high quality standards are natural extensions of sound Program Management. The customer-service culture espoused by the CEO, nurtured throughout the chain of command, and emphasized in PM training ensure that Areté PMs understand that providing responsive customer service is a corporate imperative. Areté routinely receives the highest grades in customer satisfaction from its customers. Depending on the complexity of the contract effort, either the CEO or the Division Vice President participates in the kick-off meeting. During that initial meeting with the customer, Areté’s dedication to customer service is made known, and the government PM and Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) are encouraged to contact the CEO or Division Vice President should they encounter a problem – real or perceived – with our dedication to customer service. Our performance appraisal system implicitly evaluates employees on their contributions to customer service; Professional Achievement Awards are presented by the Board of Directors regularly throughout the year to those who perform at a noteworthy level.

 

Problems can arise from various sources during contract execution – technical, programmatic, or interpersonal. Regardless of the cause, Areté PMs understand that they are paid to resolve problems, not ignore them. Given our relatively flat management structure, PMs have a direct line to their respective Division Vice Presidents, and an open door to the CEO. They are expected to seek assistance in resolving problems whenever they might arise. Additionally, since the CEO conducts quarterly program reviews, no problem can remain inadequately addressed for long. Our performance appraisal system explicitly evaluates employees on their ability to resolve problems;  Professional Achievement Awards are presented by the Board of Directors regularly throughout the year to those who perform at a noteworthy level.

 

Team Points of Contact