The Department of Homeland Security must implement acquisition training and certification standards to limit program risks, Jordon Sims of the Project Management Institute writes in a Federal Times opinion piece published Thursday.Sims, PMI director for organization relations and programs, believes that adopting a standardized framework could help DHS assess portfolio efficiency and cultivate critical thinking in the agency’s procurement workforce.
More than 80 DHS acquisition programs cost more than $300 million as of January 2014, and the agency forecasts it will spend more than $170 billion on future projects, according to Sims.
The House has passed a bill would require the department to develop competency standards for its acquisition personnel, Sims writes.
The DHS Acquisition Accountability and Efficiency Act also seeks to provide the agency’s program accountability and risk management office greater authority to oversee the purchasing process.
