The Department of Homeland Security recently finished reviewing about 100 service contracts, and the next step could be bringing some positions in house through in-sourcing, according to a report in Federal Times.
DHS also plans to review every existing and future contract.
The contracts that have thus far been reviewed are a just a fraction of the more than 10,000 service contracts the agency has on the books. But, Federal Times reports the review and the determination on in-sourcing would likely âpave the way for similar evaluations of all of the department’s. . . service contracts.â
Jeff Neal, chief human capital officer for DHS, did not say how many jobs, if any, would be in-sourced as a result of the review. But, analysts agree DHSâ comprehensive approach to studying in-sourcing could have repercussions, not just across the agency but across the federal government as well.
DHSâ formalized approach stems from the Balanced Workforce Program Management Office, an in-sourcing pilot program designed to create specific âdata-drivenâ methods of reviewing in-sourcing, Federal Times reported.
The Army, meanwhile, has also pushed for more formalized approaches to in-sourcing. But, while DHSâ program is generally seen as expanding the agencyâs in-sourcing efforts, a recent memo from Army Secretary John McHugh was seen as putting a damper on plans to phase contractor positions into government ones.
âIn an era of significantly constrained resources, the Army must approach the inÂ-sourcing of functions currently performed by contract in a well-reasoned, analytically based and systemic manner,â McHugh said in the memo.