Homeland Security Committee Passes Watson Coleman Bill to Improve DHS Acquisition Documentation
For Immediate Release:
Washington, DC (February 2, 2016) ― Today, the House Homeland Security Committee passed H.R. 4398, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acquisition Documentation Integrity Act of 2016, legislation authored by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) that amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary, through DHS component heads, to maintain “complete, accurate, timely, and valid” documentation for each of the Department’s major acquisition programs ― programs with life-cycle cost estimates in excess of $300 million.
Under this bill, DHS would, at minimum, maintain:
- Operational requirements that are validated consistent with Departmental policy and changes to those requirements, as appropriate;
- A complete life cycle cost estimate with supporting documentation;
- Verification of the life cycle cost estimate against independent cost estimates, and reconciliation of any differences;
- A cost-benefit analysis with supporting documentation; and
- A schedule including, as appropriate, an integrated master schedule.
Further, H.R. 4398 would ensure that DHS follows best practices identified by the Government Accountability Office for cost estimates and schedules for its acquisition programs. The legislation also includes provisions intended to prevent lapses in documentation to Congress on the status of major acquisition programs, a deficiency identified at an April, 2015 hearing at which it was revealed that 25 of the 72 programs had been granted waivers from requirements to produce or update critical acquisition-related documentation.
“In fiscal year 2015, the Department planned to spend roughly $11 billion on major acquisition programs ― a number that represents roughly one-sixth of the Department’s total budget. At the same time, a 2015 review of 22 major DHS acquisitions programs by the Comptroller General found that 14 had suffered cost or schedule overruns, and that three-quarters of the remaining programs lacked valid documentation against which to assess their performance,” said Watson Coleman.
“Anything less than complete, accurate, and up-to-date acquisition documentation increases the risk of cost and schedule overruns, delays in the delivery of capabilities needed by the Department to perform critical missions, and causes a depletion of resources needed to address future requirements. This bill takes vital steps to address existing deficiencies and prevent future issues.”
H.R. 4398 now awaits approval by the full House.
Click here to see the full text of the bill. Click here for a section by section analysis.