Report finds DHS contracts over budget, behind schedule

Government Executive reports:

The Homeland Security Department's key acquisition programs are experiencing major cost growth and unexpected scheduling delays, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

The report, which House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., released on Wednesday, provides a snapshot of DHS' most complex acquisitions. The findings were not encouraging.

GAO examined 15 of the department's largest and most critical acquisition programs. The contracts were split across six DHS components and had a combined $100 billion in total life-cycle costs and roughly $38 billion in direct procurement costs. Investigators found 12 of the programs reported cost overruns and almost all experienced schedule delays from the initial contractor estimates. Eight of the programs reported delays of one year or more.

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