DHS integration: Who's doing what

Officials at the Homeland Security Department aren't tackling information technology infrastructure as a single, global integration project, but instead have delegated a series of integration tasks to contractors.

Here is a summary:

Task: DHS Enterprise Architecture Support

Contractor: Science Applications International Corp.

Objective: Create and refine the basic framework for establishing an IT infrastructure.

Status: Ongoing.

Task: Resource Management Requirements Documentation

Contractor: BearingPoint Inc.

Objective: Define functional business requirements for DHS-wide back-office solution set; provide input for Emerge2 solicitation.

Status: Ongoing, expected to take four to five months.

Task: Resource Management Technical Architecture

Contractor: SAIC

Objective: Craft technical architecture for resource management solutions, using enterprise architecture as the baseline; provide input for Emerge2 solicitation (see below).

Status: Ongoing.

Task: Workflow Automation Pilot

Contractor: webMethods Inc.

Objective: Automate DHS workflows for human resources and financial management.

Status: Launched earlier this year.

Coming up:

Task: Homeland Security Data Network

Objective: Provide DHS-wide data communications backbone.

Status: Request for proposals pending; DHS officials want the network running by the end of the year.

Task: Electronically Managed Enterprise Resources for Government Efficiency and Effectiveness (Emerge2)

Objective: Provide the foundation for a back-office IT infrastructure.

Status: RFP expected in May with an award to follow this summer; phased implementation through fiscal 2006.