The Nuke Detection Beat Goes On
The to-and-fro on the Department of Homeland Security's $1.2 billion worth of contracts for new radiation detectors continues apparently.
In an Aug. 30 memo, DHS under secretary Paul A. Schneider said Customs and Border Protection officials want two more months of testing before the department decides whether the machines are worth the investment. That means the project, announced in July 2006 as a key to protecting against nuclear and dirty bombs, will be delayed by at least a year.
The memo from Schneider to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson said the CBP "has recommended an additional two months of testing after a new software update which will be installed next week."
The delay follows some pointed disputes between the department and lawmakers and the Government Accountability Office over the effectiveness of the machines. The GAO has repeatedly raised questions about the department's testing methods and suggested that DHS officials have not been forthcoming with Congress about the project. DHS officials have questioned whether the GAO has the necessary expertise to judge.
After a story in the Washington Post about the problems with the contract, Chertoff announced an independent review by a "highly experienced team of technical and programmatic" experts would examine test procedures and results.
As required by Congress, Chertoff was expected this month to review the department's most recent tests of the new radiation portal monitors and certify the results for lawmakers, before full deployment of the machines. "Accordingly, we plan to defer recommending Secretarial Certification until the additional testing is complete," Schneider wrote in his memo.
There's no way to know when the department will actually move forward. That's in part because lawmakers are so skeptical about how DHS has handled the contracts and whether the complicated, costly new machines will work as billed to protect against a fearsome threat.
By Robert O'Harrow |
September 6, 2007; 6:42 AM ET
homeland security
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Posted by: Michael Lent | September 6, 2007 8:56 AM
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As you're right on top of this story, Mr. O'Harrow, it would be useful to read your conclusions regarding how to avoid screwing up the next procurement of technology of critical national importance.
What should these parties do differently: Congress/GAO, DHS, involved contractors?
Would a different kind of acquisition strategy make a difference?