DHS taps Tessada to maximize buying power

The Homeland Security Department awarded Tessada and Associates a contract to help maximize the department’s overall buying power while managing strategic procurements, the company announced Sept. 12.

Tessada’s analysts will help DHS’ Division of Strategic Sourcing and Acquisition Systems (SSAS) in pre-procurement needs and assessments, marketplace analyses and product surveys. In addition, they will create benchmarks for products, build metrics and collect information about the acquisitions, according to a press release.

The department formed SSAS in 2005 to support DHS’ 22 agencies. With the agencies, DHS also created 35 new offices, such as the Science and Technology Directorate and U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program office.

SSAS’ challenge is finding the agencies’ common needs and establishing purchasing strategies to meet departmentwide requirements for specific commodities, such as office supplies, boats, energy and weapons, according to Tessada.

DHS designed SSAS to make the most of the department’s strategic procurements in areas such as performance, price, total life cycle management costs, socioeconomic goals and stakeholder collaboration.

"We look forward to partnering with DHS to ensure that DHS receives the goods and services it needs to complete its vital mission — at a fair and reasonable price," said Enrique Tessada, Tessada's president and chief executive officer.