Vendors urged to work through Homeland Security agencies

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A top official at the Homeland Security Department told technology industry representatives on Tuesday that they should approach the department through officials in component agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration or Customs Service.

The department has the feel of a new small business, Coast Guard Chief Information Officer (CIO) Nathaniel Heiner told the government and industry officials at a conference here. Most companies, he said, are eager to find a point of contact to offer technologies and services. But the Cabinet-level agency still is building a purchasing framework, he said.

For now, firms should work with officials in the department's 22 agencies "because those people are engaged at the department level" and know how to navigate it, Heiner said.

Homeland security officials understand the problem and hope to establish a better Internet presence to communicate with the private sector as it evolves, he said. And over time, he promised, the department's procurement plan will start to emerge.

The advice comes as Homeland Security officially begins its work this week and as its component agencies, such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, retire their former identities. But administration officials here are sending the message to the information technology industry that they will be key players in the process and that the government is looking as much to their knowledge and guidance as they are to the sector's products.

James Flyzik, a former senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and currently a security consultant, said that beginning in about six weeks, Homeland Security CIO Steven Cooper intends to ask the private sector for "new ways to move forward."

Heiner added that Homeland Security procurement likely would begin by "looking at best practices or ... existing procurement vehicles." Right now, leaders at the department's headquarters are determining how its budget ultimately will fit its mission, he said. But progress is being made as Cooper releases milestone dates for building the department's IT framework, with a goal of 80 percent completion of the system by Sept. 1.

Apart from the private sector, administration officials are quick to add that states and localities are vital stakeholders in homeland security efforts.

Steven Lauer, domestic security chief for Florida's Law Enforcement Department, described his state's efforts to improve emergency preparedness and response to potential threats. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Florida has created a series of task forces in various regions to oversee threat prevention and response.

The state also is one of 13 participating in an effort between the federal Justice and Homeland Security departments to disseminate information through a Web-based database. The secure system seeks to enable police personnel to access warnings and threat alerts from the federal government. Florida also maintains its own statewide database for similar purposes.

Lauer, Flyzik and others praised the state as a homeland security model for the rest of the nation.