FEMA updates IT acquisition plans
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided a look at its IT modernization strategy for the coming year.
FEMA's Lester Ingol says the agency will release multiple RFPs for IT upgrades in fiscal 2016.
After holding an industry day a year ago to discuss IT plans with potential contractors, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has unveiled plans to issue requests for proposals to upgrade IT systems and capabilities in seven work areas.
Lester Ingol, deputy director of preparedness and internal operations in FEMA's Acquisition Operations Division, gave a presentation at a DHS Industry Day hosted by Washington Technology on Dec. 1 that indicated most of the work on the agency's RFPs is likely to happen in fiscal 2016.
An industry official told FCW on background that in December 2014, FEMA said the RFPs would be released in fiscal 2015, 2016 and 2017. But based on what FEMA has posted on FedBizOpps and Ingol's presentation, the official said fiscal 2016 now appears to be the year for much, if not all, of the work to be released.
FEMA plans to use the Department of Homeland Security's Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading-Edge Solutions II contract vehicle for key areas such as program management, mission needs, application development and quality assurance. Hardware, security and other areas would be covered through a mix of multiple-award contracts and blanket purchase agreements.
The industry representative also said FEMA's use of Eagle II was interesting because the agency has traditionally "gone its own way" on contracting, primarily because of its role in providing services to highly localized disaster areas.