Getting It Right The First Time

uestions abound as the Homeland Security Department joins Defense, Justice and other key agencies in protecting the nation and its citizens izens' way of life. Its creation will mark the biggest change in government since Harry Truman's restructuring of the defense establishment in the late 1940s.

Much debate has focused on the roles of the various offices to be clumped together into this new amalgam. How should the Border Patrol relate to Customs or the Coast Guard? Another issue is what kinds of information will be needed to see that the key pillars of the new department are working in sync toward common goals. And what linkages with state and local government first responders are needed to frame a truly national enterprise?

Amid the planning and discussions, another reality must be considered-how the government does business.

If the Homeland Security Department runs true to form, it's going to have to rely heavily on contractors for the systems, technology and capabilities needed to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. After all, the private sector owns 85 percent of that infrastructure. The federal government spent $218 billion on goods and services in fiscal 2001 on contracts valued over $25,000, and that figure is going up.

Already, the Transportation Security Administration has had to come up with airport security services at breakneck speed. Acquiring effective explosive detection machinery and hiring and training baggage screeners are but two of the many efforts that require private sector support.

From an acquisition standpoint, this sort of crash program presents hazards. Some of the loopholes in rushing to acquire all of these new capabilities include failure to:

• Know what you want before going ahead with purchases.
• Explore all of the possible alternatives.
• Bring together the key stakeholders who will have an interest in the procurement.
• Identify the potential risks and develop an approach for dealing with them.
• Think through the data and measures needed to ensure success.
• Set the business, IT and contracting strategies for getting what's needed.
• Set up a project management structure to oversee procurement efforts.

Census leaders recognized they were going to rely on contractors much more for the development of sophisticated reporting and record keeping systems. And they knew timeliness was critical.

So, they created the senior team including the director for the decennial census and the chief financial officer to address such things as how to ensure the contractors they hired would be successful and that work would be done when needed. The team conducted market research to determine which contract vehicles would enable it to hire contractors quickly. And it focused on contractors' past performance to help the bureau pick the right players. Most importantly, bureau leaders assembled integrated acquisition project teams and gave them the ability to cut through stovepipes and work faster.

Other agencies, such as the Education and Energy departments, also are turning to innovative acquisition approaches. Education has created templates to help program staff develop strategies for large information technology procurements. These templates list the various factors to consider in deciding what to buy and how. The documents can be filled out electronically and are easy to use. They make sure key issues such as risk, budget needs and proposed contract type are fully considered in developing a procurement approach.

The Energy Department has been investing in similar front-end work, creating a broad project management mission and a set of tools to accomplish it. The agency has coordinated procedures that will require a top management review at the key decision points for projects worth more than $5 million. The reviews, which start with mission need, continue through facility operation to disposition. The department also is developing a training program to ensure it has a seasoned cadre of project managers that can handle the uncertainties of complex development efforts for all types of projects.

What do these acquisition strategies mean for the Homeland Security Department? Plan early with the right team before launching major projects. Homeland leaders must have an "across the enterprise" perspective and a real say in what the department buys. The stakes are too high to make mistakes.