Homeland Procurement Office Stretched Thin

The Homeland Security Department relies heavily on interagency contracts in its procurement operations. GAO says DHS lacks specific guidance on managing certain types of such contracts, such as GSA schedules and governmentwide acquisition contracts. But the folks in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer at DHS seem to have a pretty good excuse: Their people must respond to procurement needs arising from crises such as Hurricane Katrina, leaving them little time to generate policy guidance. After all, the office has only five employees to oversee the $17.5 billion in purchases DHS makes every year.