Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee, called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) vendor vetting process “bureaucratic in the worst ways, inefficient, inconsistent, and lacking transparency,” at a Feb. 28 hearing.
He noted that the Office of Personnel Management establishes contractor employee standards, but DHS is inconsistent in how it applies the standards, and it varies by position.
“This causes difficulties for contractors with employees providing services to multiple DHS components,” he said, noting that a contractor working for the Transportation Security Administration may have to endure an additional fitness determination if subsequently performing work for Customs and Border Protection. “Differing applications of fitness standards causes headaches due to lost time, increased costs, and inefficient communication between DHS and industry.”
This problem not only costs taxpayers, it keeps contractors from performing the services they’re hired to provide. He also said communication throughout the process is lacking.
“In order for industry to receive information on the status of a pending fitness determination, industry must place the request with the contracting officer representative … who then forwards the request to the office conducting the review,” Perry added. “The office conducting the review then provides the requested information to the [contracting officer representative] who, in turn, gives it to industry, who asked in the first place.”
Perry also said the process keeps “nontraditional government partners” from ever wanting to work with DHS in the first place.
Subcommittee ranking member Lou Correa (D-Calif.,) said DHS needs better oversight and should eliminate redundancies in the process and be more consistent.
“Unfortunately, these administrative remedies appear to have fallen low on the department’s priority list,” he said. “At a time when DHS resources are already spread thin, effective use of taxpayer dollars should be centered on ways the department can operate and fulfill its mission in the most suitable, efficient manner.”
Witnesses for this hearing include Charles E. Allen, senior intelligence advisor, Intelligence and National Security Alliance; Marc Pearl, president and CEO, Homeland Security & Defense Business Council; David J. Berteau, president and CEO, Professional Services Council; and Brandon LaBonte, president and CEO, ArdentMC.
The hearing is available in its entirety at the House Homeland Security website.
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