The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly included DHS
acquisition management activities on its high-risk list, demonstrating
that these programs are highly susceptible to waste, fraud, abuse, or
mismanagement. The Secure Border Initiative, also known as SBInet, is a prime
example of acquisition mismanagement. Initial plans developed in 2005
and 2006 call for SBInet to extend across the entire U.S.-Mexico land
border; however, SBInet deployment in Arizona was fraught with
mismanagement, including a failure to adequately set requirements so
the system would meet the needs of its users: our border patrol agents. After spending nearly $1 billion of taxpayers' money with minimal
results, DHS canceled SBInet in 2011, showing the high cost of failing
to properly oversee new border acquisitions. With a renewed focus from
the administration and this Congress on improving border security, this
bill helps ensure Americans' dollars are used as efficiently and
effectively as possible. It requires that border security technology
programs at the Department have an acquisition program baseline: a
critical document that lays out what a program will do, what it will
cost, and when it will be completed. The bill also requires programs to adhere to internal control
standards and have a plan for testing and evaluation, as well as the
use of independent verification and validation resources. Being proper
stewards of our limited resources requires that programs are on time,
on budget, and follow sound management procedures.
Keywords matched
border patrol border security