DHS Execs: Agency Seeking Early Feedback From Industry on IT Acquisitions

The Department of Homeland Security wants potential vendors in an information technology acquisition program to give the agency feedback early in the process via responses to requests for information, DHS’ chief procurement officer said Wednesday.

Soraya Correa, DHS’ CPO since January 2015, told an audience of industry executives at a Potomac Officers Club-hosted event the department needs answers from industry to questions in the RFI on “tight timelines” based on deadlines spelled out in the post in order to maintain that feedback loop.

“We’re trying to make our evaluation criteria match what we’re trying to buy, ” Correa said.

Luke McCormack, chief information officer at DHS, told POC’s Next-Gen Federal IT event attendees the department’s goal moving forward will be to use commodity services as the default option for IT-related purchases instead of building its own setups.

DHS is also trying to bring together its ecosystem of culture, contract processes and workers’ skill sets as it transitions to new IT systems and platforms with consolidation of legacy infrastructure at the forefront of the department’s strategy, McCormack said.

“We’re looking for business opportunities to be solved through technology… (and) at legacy business applications built for one purpose.”

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