Capabilities - Partner Forces

About

Partner Forces LLC is a management consulting firm that helps government and commercial clients manage risk, enhance security, and strengthen mission impact. Founded in 2016, our team of cross-sector experts specialize in risk and resilience, data analytics, management consulting and operations support. Together, we work tirelessly to maximize the power of partnership, protect critical infrastructure, and help our national security and industry partners tackle their most pressing challenges. We take deep pride in crafting smart and practical solutions that consider the evolving risk landscape and help solve for the greater good.

Key Differentiators

Successful woman-owned small business contractor to several federal and state agencies, as well as numerous private organizations.

37 distinct homeland security and preparedness related contracts across the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as well as state and local governments.

75% of work is derived from repeat customers who value our partnership, value, and impact.

Core Service Lines

Operation Support

We focus on administrative and grant operations, policy analysis and development, project management, technical writing, technology and tool development, and collaborative training.

Administrative Operations: We handle the fundamentals, including logistics, reporting, executive, correspondence, administrative and end-to-end meeting support, helping set executives and their teams up for success.

Grant Operations: From drafting grants to managing their distribution, we provide end-to-end grant operations support to ensure stakeholders have the resources they need to advance the mission.

Policy Analysis & Development: We develop draft policies, prepare policy materials, conduct research and conduct outreach to help our stakeholders shape a favorable policy environment.

Project Management: From managing timelines and teams to running day-to-day operations, our skilled project managers ensure you meet your project goals.

Technical Writing: We research, write, edit and condense complex, technical concepts and issues into simple and engaging content. Reports, articles, news releases, SOPs, and guidance documents.

Technology and Tool Development: We develop and deploy tools to help advance your most important mission areas.

Training: We identify needs, develop materials, and coordinate and conduct training to empower stakeholders to fulfill their mission requirements.

Management Consulting

We focus on business process design and improvement, human capital, organizational transformation, stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and strategy and governance.

Business Process Design and Improvement: We develop and design end-to-end processes to create new and streamline existing business operations to drive continuous improvement.

Human Capital: We help organizations attract, retain, grow and develop their most vital assets: their people.

Organizational Transformation: We help organizations anticipate, navigate and adapt to change and improve operations.

Stakeholder Engagement: We help clients engage with and cultivate meaningful relationships with broad and diverse stakeholders to generate support and accomplish mission objectives.

Strategic Communications: We help clients tell compelling stories, communicate consistently, and produce tailored and engaging communications collaterals to increase awareness, educate and compel action.

Strategy and Governance: We develop strategic planning materials and operating plans, facilitate strategy workshops, and partner to create effective governance structures that provide a north star to achieve your mission.

Risk & Resilience

We offer end-to-end risk management advice and support to help clients prepare for, detect, analyze, and mitigate evolving risks, threats, and other potential crises. 

UAS and Other Advanced Threats: We partner with organizations to identify operational risks and build a stronger future through designing and implementing drone security and training programs that can also be tailored to a variety of emerging threats.

Cybersecurity: We provide governance, policy, program management, and risk management support to help lead, support, and mature cybersecurity programs.

Incident Response: We provide real-time incident management support to help our clients manage teams, share information, advance interagency coordination efforts, and respond to critical incidents and events.

Intelligence and Operations: Our cleared professionals collect, fuse and analyze intelligence to develop a clear operational picture and inform tactical and strategic actions.

Preparedness & Response Planning: We help organizations prepare for critical risks and other potential high impact emergencies by bringing stakeholders together, aligning on emergency response and business continuity plans, and facilitating tabletop exercises.

Risk Assessments: We conduct comprehensive risk assessments to help clients understand their diverse risk landscape and build resilience. We identify risks, analyze the probability and potential impact, and develop solutions to mitigate priority risks.

Data & Analytics

We focus on cleansing and validation, mining and standardization, analytics and reporting, and visualization to build analytical capacity and provide long-term, transformational strategies.

Cleansing & Validation: We help organizations collect, clean, organize, store, and validate data to maximize its availability and impact on our client’s mission.

Mining & Standardization: We sort through large datasets to identify trends and patterns that inform data data-driven solutions.

Analytics & Reporting: We build tools, capabilities, and methodologies to organize, analyze and interpret data relied upon for mission-critical solutions.

Visualization & Dashboarding: We build compelling visualizations, dashboards, and briefings to deliver clear, useful, and actionable insights.

Coaching & Training: We provide customized processes, tools and trainings, empowering organizations with in-house data analytics capabilities and the means to build upon them.

Core Service Lines

Grant Operations
Policy Analysis & Development
Project Management and Administrative Operations
Technical Writing
Technology & Tool Development
Training Business Process Design & Improvement
Human Capital
Organizational Transformation
Stakeholder Engagement
Strategic Communications
Strategy and Governance
Cybersecurity
Risk Assessments
UAS and Other Advanced Threats
Incident Response
Intelligence & Operations
Preparedness & Response Planning
Artificial Intelligence
Analytics & Reporting
Visualization & Dashboarding
Cleansing & Validation
Mining & Standardization
Coaching & Training

Project Spotlights/Success Stories

Building a New UAS Security Program from the Ground Up

Core capabilities covered – Risk & Resilience, Management Consulting, Operations Support
Work specialties covered – UAS Threat Mitigation, Critical Infrastructure Resilience, Strategic Communications

The Challenge

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) pose a unique cyber and physical threat critical infrastructure organizations across all sectors. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to our cyber and physical infrastructure, including risks from drones. CISA needed a strategic partner to build a new program office to help the agency respond to the growing UAS threat and navigate the complexities around uncrewed technology.

The Partnership

Together, CISA and Partner Forces collaborated to stand up a new UAS Security Program Office. As expert operators and risk advisors, we leveraged our team’s specialized skills and experience to establish a new governance framework, as well as operational and communication processes.

The Impact

Through our proactive leadership and collaborative efforts, our team helped CISA:

Advance Strategic Planning Efforts

Define a strategy and plan to help the UAS Security Program Office grow and scale, define the mission space, and operate more efficiently.

Manage Programs & Protect the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

Stand up and operationalize a new program office to help DHS and CISA address unique security considerations related to drones and potential impacts to national critical infrastructures.

Improve Communications & Enhance Partnerships

Improve how the office communicates, engages, and shares information internally and with external public and private sector stakeholders.
Increase public awareness around UAS threats and mitigation best practices and considerations.
Open new communications channels with international counterparts and other security entities.

Streamlining the Distribution of Emergency Grants Amid a Global Health Crisis

Core capabilities covered – Risk & Resilience, Management Consulting, Operations Support
Work specialties covered – Supply Chain Management, Grants Management, Natural Disaster Mitigation and Response, Strategic Communications

The Challenge

Following the passage of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, FEMA had just weeks to allocate $100 million in critical emergency aid to thousands of qualified grant applicants during the height of the global health pandemic.

The Partnership

Partner Forces teamed up with FEMA to provide critical grant operations, change management, and emergency management support.
Our team worked closely with internal and external stakeholders to document existing processes, design best practices for distributing vital personal protective equipment (PPE) funding for fire departments nationwide and develop new online tools and resources to administer grants during a crisis.

The Impact

As a result of Partner Forces’ management, outreach and partnership-building skills, our team helped FEMA:

Improve & Bolster Emergency Response Efforts

Distribute $100 million in CARES Act funding for vital PPE to firefighters, helping to minimize the spread of COVID-19 nationwide
Reduce strain on the federal emergency response workforce

Operate More Efficiently

Migrate their in-person application review processes online, streamlining review and approval processes
Save resources on travel
Clarify roles and processes
Reduce redundancies

Strengthen Engagement

Cultivate stronger relationships with internal, intergovernmental and external stakeholders

Better Prepare for the Future

Respond more swiftly and efficiently to future emergencies
Repurpose and tailor a grant distribution SOP to other grant programs

Building a New Security Program Office from the Ground Up

Core capabilities covered – Risk & Resilience, Management Consulting, Operations Support
Work specialties covered – UAS Threat Mitigation, Training and Workforce Development, Cybersecurity, Strategic Communications

The Challenge

Amid the rapidly evolving risk landscape, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) is growing threat to our nation’s critical infrastructure networks. CISA needed support designing and executing a new program office to help the agency respond to and mitigate UAS threats.

The Partnership

Partner Forces partnered with CISA to stand up a new sUAS security program office. As expert operators and risk advisors, Partner Forces leveraged our skills and experience to design and implement new governance, operational, and communications processes to establish and help mature the office.

The Impact

As a result of Partner Forces leadership and collaborative effort, our team helped CISA:

Conduct Strategic Planning

Define a strategy and plan to help CISA’s sUAS office grow and scale, define their mission space, and operate more efficiently

Manage Programs & Protect our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure

Stand up and operationalize a new program office to reduce drone threats to the nation’s critical infrastructure

Improve Communications & Enhance Partnerships

Improve how the office communicates, engages and shares information internally and with external stakeholders
Raise public awareness about sUAS threats and how to mitigate them
Open new communications channels with international counterparts and other security entities

Developing the First DHS Cyber Grant Requirement for State and Local Partners

Core capabilities covered – Risk & Resilience, Management Consulting, Operations Support
Work specialties covered – Grants Management, Critical Infrastructure Resilience, Strategic Communications, Cybersecurity, Multi-Spectrum Threat Assessments

The Challenge

States and territories have consistently rated cybersecurity as the least proficient core capability and the capability in greatest danger of decline in their State Preparedness Reports. The National Preparedness Report has highlighted cybersecurity as a national area for improvement for six consecutive years. Moreover, cybersecurity investment justifications have not adequately reflected the severity of the risk to critical information systems owned and operated by state and local governments. Finally, there is an increased need for cyber resilience—the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover, and evolve—in the face of persistent, stealthy, and sophisticated attacks and disruptions.

The Partnership

Partner Forces teamed up with FEMA and CISA to provide cyber expertise, state and local grant governance expertise, strategic planning, grant operations, and project management.
In FY17, our team worked closely with the teams at both FEMA and CISA to carve out a mandatory cyber spend requirement across DHS preparedness grants. This was the most significant change to the DHS preparedness grants since they were established in the post 9/11 environment.

The Impact

As a result of Partner Forces’ efforts, our team helped DHS:

Transform Current Grant Operations

Leverage expertise outside of the FEMA grant program to establish a one-DHS effort
Establish new processes and tools to support more complex coordination across and outside of DHS
Develop a robust strategic communication strategy leveraging NASCIO and other associations to spread the word

Provide Technical Assistance

Develop an agreement with CISA to support the FEMA preparedness grant officer requests to help adjudicate cyber grant inquiries
Hold weekly cyber-focused information sessions with all eligible grantees
Train CISA and FEMA regional teams on the new requirement and allowable spends

Strengthen SLTT Cyber Capabilities

Distribute $37 million in cyber focused grant funds across 89 states and UASIs providing increased capabilities in the following areas: training/exercises, cyber plan development, encryption software, firewall enhancements, and identity management/access control
Require every grantee to complete a Nationwide Cybersecurity Review (NCSR)
Require emergency management teams to consult with their CIO/CISO to develop each cyber investment

Transforming Approval Processes: Innovative Solutions for Conference Management

The Challenge

For one of our federal clients, federal experts were increasingly being asked to travel to meet with industry and state and local government partners across the country. Agency leadership wanted better visibility and a centralized management and approval process across the division for all employee travel, training, and conference attendance.

The Partnership

Partner Forces, a long-time partner with this client, recommended a technical solution, using existing software, to streamline requests and decision-making. We focused on user experience in our approach to gather requirements, leveraging key stakeholder experiences and outcomes to build our development roadmap.
Using the Microsoft Power Platform (PowerApps, Power Automate, and Power BI), we developed a tool to manage all approvals for speaking engagements, training, conference, and travel approvals. With this tool, our client can more easily identify conferences, access application timelines, and submit attendance requests into a centrally located record-keeping database. Most importantly, the leadership team uses the tool to review and approve travel requests, leveraging dashboard views to analyze information and deconflict requests as needed.

The Impact

Partner Forces streamlined the process for more than 800 employees to track more than 200 travel events annually. For our federal clients, using the tool we developed resulted in:

Maximized Resources

Avoided the need for new technology investments.
Created a robust back end for data and records management. 
Streamlined processes for managing conference attendance and travel requests. 
Reduced time and effort required for travel approval.

Improved User Experience 

Eliminated reliance on emails and spreadsheets.
Enabled digestible data analytics and dynamic reporting capabilities with Power BI dashboards. 
Enhanced communication and eliminated confusion around the multi-stage conference process.
Increased visibility of application timelines, conference submission requests, and attendance.

State Local Tribal and Territorial Government cybersecurity Foundation Assistance:

Core capabilities covered – Management Consulting, Operations Support, Risk & Resilience
Work Specialties covered – Grant Operations, Policy Analysis & Development, Project Management and Administrative Operations, Cybersecurity, Strategic Communications, Visualization & Dashboarding, Stakeholder Engagement.

Cyber threats to state, local, and tribal governments continue to grow more complex and are more disruptive than ever. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) continues to strengthen the cybersecurity foundation of SLTTs.

Partner Forces works with CISA to strengthen the cybersecurity foundation of SLTTs. Together with CISA, we:

Visualize performance and risk trends across 1,000+ cybersecurity projects
Enhance data accessibility for real-time insight through custom technology solutions
Quantify performance indicators across 2,000+ cybersecurity grants
Demonstrate a return on investment for grant spending to SLTTs

These efforts strengthen the backbone of our communities to build lasting cyber resilience and ensuring the systems we rely on every day remain secure, connected, and ready.

Client List

Federal:

Department of Homeland Security National Protection and Programs Directorate
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Transportation Security Administration

State:

Texas Grant Land Office
City of El Paso
City of San Antonio

Private:

GuardTexas
Healthcare Distribution Alliance
Bipartisan Biodefense Commission
Cyxtera