Infrastructure Risk Assessment

OPC was established in 1980 to provide services for transportation, public works, energy and utilities, school districts, housing and community development. Our understanding of America's infrastructure and our reputation as the leader in real estate consulting services for the public sector brings us into Infrastructure Risk Assessment.

The driver of our entry into Risk Assessment was the attack on our soil on September 11, 2001. Responding to the attacks of 9/11, President Bush signed into law the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) on June 12, 2002. Vulnerability Assessments were mandated for specific sectors:

• Public Health
• Food and Drugs
• Biological Agents and Toxins
• Drinking Water

The hard lessons of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as other recent natural disasters, have made us painfully aware that our lives depend upon critical infrastructure, key systems, and continuity of essential operations. Over 2,000 people dead, property damage over $100 billion and the breakdown of emergency services, coupled with regional complexities, have prompted changes to the allocation of grant or emergency assistance funds and resources responding to disasters. States, Cities, and other Public Agencies must now prove the need for funds through Risk assessments that include new criteria:

• Criticality
• Vulnerability
• Population
• Cost/Benefit

OPC now has the exclusive license for an assessment methodology known as PAIRpm®. We have brought on subject matter experts from NohBell Corporation and Setracon, Inc. We now have the capabilities to conduct large scale, complex, cross-sector assessments using PAIRpm®. With the addition of these firms, we can provide expertise in engineering, manufacturing, supply chain services, security training and investigations. With PAIRpm®, our subject matter experts, and OPC's knowledge of America's infrastructure, our team fosters an atmosphere of trust and respect among the stakeholders.

Our team has developed and responded with the first integrated, collaborative, server based version of PAIRpm®. Some of the features and processes provide the following:

• Encourage agency participation
• Involve public and private stakeholders
• Consider all-hazards
• Include cross-sector comparison
• Consider inter-dependencies
• Determine cascading effects
• Utilize SharePoint collaboration
• Feature concurrent and iterative steps
• Utilize best practice project mgmt.
• Feature electronic forms
• Centralize data management
• Engage data security protocols
• Support trend analysis
• Six Sigma concepts and practices

With the application of PAIRpm® our clients receive the information that is truly important:

• Threats and consequences are determined
• Vulnerabilities are documented and analyzed
• Risk levels are calculated
• Recommendations are made to eliminate the threats or mitigate the consequences
• Priority, sequencing and cost estimates provided for each recommendation

This team has international in-field experience coupled with planning and managing large scale projects. NohBell Corporation and Setracon, Inc. have successfully applied PAIRpm® to risk, threat and vulnerability assessments for Washington State EOC, several water districts, Sound Transit Central Link Rail System and Snohomish and Island Counties in Washington State. They have now joined OPC to provide a level of service that has not been available to government agencies until now. Consider the following facts:

• Risk Management just makes good business sense
  
• Today's new risks were not contemplated by traditional risk management processes
• Traditional risk management tools like insurance do very little to Detect, Delay or Respond to a terrorist or biological attack
• This Risk Assessment Methodology, PAIRpm®, is about identifying threats, risks and vulnerabilities for individual key assets and critical infrastructure relative to each other and the threats most likely to be faced
• This process produces a better understanding of the risks from which better decisions about allocating resources for prevention, mitigation, response and recovery can be made
• The Department of Homeland Security grant dollars are available (10.5 billion in 2006)
• Businesses and the communities will benefit

The firm's Principals created a company dedicated to providing our professional services with integrity and excellence. OPC has a commitment to transportation, community development and large infrastructure projects across the nation. We understand the expanding role of Public/Private Partnerships in today's changing landscape and recognize that our professional program management and PAIRpm® bring an essential component to projects that safeguard America's safety, mobility and economic vitality. We are committed to providing outstanding client service, professional and knowledgeable personnel and efficient business process.

Clients across the nation have learned to benefit from the strength of our experience and the commitment of our people. Now, with our exclusive license for PAIRpm®, our experience in program management and our working knowledge of the requirements of municipal, state and federally funded projects, OPC is the logical solution to provide Risk Management Services and Vulnerability Assessments.