H.R. 6871 would designate the undersecretary for management at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the chief acquisition officer at the agency. Under the bill, the chief acquisition officer would be required to advise the Secretary of DHS on acquisition management activities and to help maintain best practices, among other responsibilities. The bill also would establish an Office of Test and Evaluation to ensure compliance with department policies and a Program Accountability and Risk Management office to evaluate the performance of major acquisition programs and developing certification standards.
Based on a 2017 directive and other information from DHS’s website, DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those required by the bill. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing the requirements in the bill would not have a significant cost; any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
