Billions Invested in DHS Programs Lack Adequate Oversight

Back in 2003, the Department of Homeland Security established an investment review process to give it some insight into the cost, schedule and performance of its major investments in things like Coast Guard ships, screening equipment and more. But now that process itself has come under fire.

In an article on the Hawai’i Reporter website, Jim Kouri says concerns have been raised about how well the process has been implemented, particularly for large investments. He says the Government Accounting Office has been evaluating the DHS’s implementation of the investment review process, and assessing DHS’s integration of the investment review and budget processes to ensure major investments fulfill mission needs.

What did the GAO report find? Kouri says that while the process calls for executive decision making at key points in an investment’s life cycle, it hasn’t provided the oversight needed to identify and address cost, schedule, and performance problems in its major investments.

“Poor implementation of the process is evidenced by the number of investments that did not adhere to the department's investment review policy — of DHS’s 48 major investments requiring milestone and annual reviews, 45 were not assessed in accordance with this policy,” Kouri says.

He also points out that at least 14 of these investments have reported cost growth, schedule slips, or performance shortfalls. GAO also found that almost a third of DHS's major investments received funding without having validated mission needs and requirements and two-thirds did not have required life-cycle cost estimates.