Managing Homeland Security Acquisitions

Coast Guard Cutter

Source: U.S. Coast Guard.

DHS has faced significant challenges in developing an effective acquisition organization that satisfies its mission needs and provides needed support to its component agencies; program offices that have been tasked with managing large-scale, mission-critical acquisitions have long been challenged in making sure that cost-effective solutions are delivered on time and within budget. As a result, the department has not been successful in acquiring and deploying key investments designed to protect the homeland. GAO’s work has highlighted the need for the department to strengthen its oversight of contractors, better manage the relationships and dependencies among related programs, and adhere to more rigorous management review and key acquisition management processes, such as requirements management, test management, and cost and schedule estimating, for a range of its acquisitions. GAO’s work has also identified concerns with the adequacy of the department’s acquisition workforce to manage its complex and varied procurement needs. Key challenges include the following:

• DHS continues to develop its acquisition oversight function and has produced and begun to implement a revised acquisition management directive. As part of the implementation process, the senior-level Acquisition Review Board (ARB) has begun to meet more frequently and has provided decision memorandums with action items to improve program performance. The acquisition oversight office has created a tracking system to monitor key program information for all acquisitions. At the component level, acquisition oversight offices have begun to update policies and staff capacity needed to oversee program activities. While these efforts are positive steps toward improving acquisition management and oversight, the department has not yet established a departmentwide requirements oversight body for all acquisitions or integrated the acquisition review and budget processes as required by DHS policy. As a result, DHS is at risk of failing to maximize resources and ultimately meet critical mission needs.
  
  Highlights of GAO-10-588SP (PDF)
• DHS has not effectively managed the technology component of its Secure Border Initiative, a multiyear, multibillion-dollar program to secure the nation’s borders. In managing this technology component, known as SBInet, DHS has not effectively managed system requirements or testing. Moreover, the scope and timing of SBInet capabilities to be deployed have continued to change and remain unclear.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-1148T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1164T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1086 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-10-158 (PDF)
• Although DHS has partially defined a strategic solution for meeting program goals, the department has not yet implemented an exit capability for the US-VISIT program—a program to use biometric and biographic information to control and monitor pre-entry, entry, status, and exit of foreign visitors at more than 300 ports of entry. In addition, DHS has not adequately defined, justified, or coordinated a strategic solution to enhance already deployed entry capabilities. DHS has established a Comprehensive Exit project within its US-VISIT program, and the US-VISIT program office has established integrated project management plans for, and has adopted an integrated approach to, interacting with and involving stakeholders in its Comprehensive Exit project. However, it has not adopted an integrated approach to scheduling, executing, and tracking the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a comprehensive exit solution.
  
  Highlights of GAO-10-13 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-361 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-1065 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-632T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-499T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-278 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-248 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-06-404 (PDF)
• The Coast Guard has taken steps to strengthen its management of the Deepwater Program—the multiyear, multibillion dollar program to modernize its fleet—but continues to face challenges. While the Coast Guard has addressed its over-reliance on a contractor as systems integrator—by taking on many of the systems integrator functions itself, reducing the scope of work on contract, and implementing a more disciplined acquisition process—analysis and documentation of key acquisition activated have not yet been performed for certain assets. In addition, as the Coast Guard performs new estimates of the resources needed to complete its acquisition it is becoming apparent that the cost of some assets may exceed the program’s 2007 baseline unless trade-offs are made. Finally, while the Coast Guard continues to have gaps in its acquisition workforce, it has made progress in identifying and mitigating challenges in managing that workforce.
  Highlights of GAO-09-620T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-745 (PDF), Full Report of GAO-08-270R (PDF, 22 pages), Highlights of GAO-08-531T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-874 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-05-757 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-04-380 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-09-682 (PDF)
• Although radiation detection portal monitors are key in combating nuclear smuggling, DHS has not provided Congress with the full scope or cost estimate for the program.
  
  Full Report of GAO-08-1108R (PDF, 52 pages)
• Despite significant problems encountered in developing and implementing Secure Flight—a program to assume from air carriers the function of matching passenger information against terrorist watch-list records—TSA has instilled much more disciple and rigor into the program’s development. However, challenges remain that may hinder the program’s progress, including unreliable cost and schedule estimates, incomplete performance testing, and limited definition and testing of security requirements.
  Highlights of GAO-08-1024T (PDF) and Highlights of GAO-08-456T (PDF)
• DHS has not adequately defined and effectively implemented key practices for managing its investments, including its process for reviewing and selecting among competing projects, ensuring that investments are aligned with the department’s corporate blueprint for systems modernization, controlling investments throughout their life cycles, and evaluating the outcomes of acquisition methods and contracts.
  Highlights of GAO-09-29 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1164T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-263 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-990 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-564 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-424 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-996 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-598T (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-05-179 (PDF)
• While DHS has taken initial steps needed to develop an acquisition workforce, much work remains to fill critical positions with qualified, trained acquisition professionals.
  Highlights of GAO-09-30 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1164T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-996 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-05-179 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

• DHS needs to strengthen the acquisition of SBInet to include assessing and disclosing acquisition, development, testing, and deployment risks; establishing and baselining specific program commitments; and implementing key requirements development and test management practices.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-1086 (PDF)
• DHS needs to define, justify, and coordinate its future investment in US-VISIT capabilities, including a proposed exit capability, and implement effective management controls for acquiring and investing in these capabilities. In particular, DHS needs to develop and maintain an integrated master schedule for the Comprehensive Exit project.
  
  Highlights of GAO-10-13 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-361 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-07-1065 (PDF)
• While the Coast Guard has restructured and increased accountability for its Deepwater program, it must ensure that it effectively implements its more disciplined acquisition approach and that it develops an adequate acquisition workforce to manage the program.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-745, Highlights of GAO-08-531T, Highlights of GAO-07-874, and Highlights of GAO-09-682
• DHS needs to revise cost estimates to reflect the monitors’ design and development, sustainment, maintenance, deployment, and procurement needs and plans.
  
  Full Report of GAO-08-1108R (PDF, 52 pages)
• TSA needs to ensure that its cost and schedule estimates are consistent with best practices, appropriately plan for system end-to-end testing, and ensure that information-security requirements are fully implemented and tested for the Secure Flight program.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-1024T (PDF) and Highlights of GAO-08-456T (PDF)
• DHS should routinely assess requirements for major, complex investments to ensure they are well-defined; develop measurable standards linked to these requirements; and, at a departmentwide level, systematically evaluate the outcomes of major investments and relevant contracting methods.
  
  Highlights of GAO-08-263 (PDF)
• DHS needs strategic-level guidance for determining the appropriate mix of government and contractor employees to meet mission needs; assess the risk of using contractors for services as part of the acquisition-planning process; and define contract requirements to clearly describe roles, responsibilities, and limitations of contractors performing such services as part of the acquisition-planning process.
  
  Highlights of GAO-07-990 (PDF)
• DHS needs to define and implement effective investment management processes and practices for both individual programs and projects and for portfolios of programs and projects, and it needs to fully define an enterprise architecture (corporate blueprint) for achieving DHS mission priorities and ensure that each investment aligns to this blueprint.
  
  Highlights of GAO-07-424 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-07-564 (PDF), and Highlights of GAO-06-598T (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Department of Homeland Security: Assessments of Selected Complex Acquisitions

GAO-10-588SP, June 30, 2010

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 92 pages)   Accessible Text

Secure Border Initiative: DHS Needs to Address Testing and Performance Limitations That Place Key Technology Program at Risk

GAO-10-158, January 29, 2010

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 47 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Homeland Security: Key US-VISIT Components at Varying Stages of Completion, but Integrated and Reliable Schedule Needed

GAO-10-13, November 19, 2009

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 52 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Department of Homeland Security: A Strategic Approach Is Needed to Better Ensure the Acquisition Workforce Can Meet Mission Needs

GAO-09-30, November 19, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 46 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Department of Homeland Security: Billions Invested in Major Programs Lack Appropriate Oversight

GAO-09-29, November 18, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 53 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Secure Border Initiative: DHS Needs to Address Significant Risks in Delivering Key Technology Investment

GAO-08-1086, September 22, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 56 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Department of Homeland Security: Progress and Continuing Concerns with Acquisition Management

GAO-08-1164T, September 17, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 17 pages)   Accessible Text

Department of Homeland Security: Better Planning and Assessment Needed to Improve Outcomes for Complex Service Acquisitions

GAO-08-263, April 22, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 40 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)

Homeland Security: Strategic Solution for US-VISIT Program Needs to Be Better Defined, Justified, and Coordinated

GAO-08-361, February 29, 2008

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 65 pages)   Accessible Text   Recommendations (HTML)