DHS Asked to Hold Off on Acquisition of Next Generation Radiation Monitors Until Reliability and Performance Questions Addressed
The Chairmen and two othermembers (members)1 of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and House Homeland Security Committees sent a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security asking DHS to hold off on a $1.2 billion acquisition of nuclear radiation monitors until questions about their reliability, performance, and effectiveness have been addressed.
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DHS Secretary Must Personally Certify New Monitors are Better than Current Ones
In the DHS fiscal year 2007 budget, Congress provided funding for DHS' Domestic Nuclear Detection Office2 (DNDO) to begin buying Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) radiation detection sensors. However, as a result of questions the Government Accountability Office raised about a June 2006 Cost Benefit Analysis, the FY 2007 DHS Conference Report requires the DHS Secretary to personally certify that the new monitors will provide a "significant increase in operational effectiveness" over current radiation portal monitors that use a different technology to detect nuclear smuggling.
Members Support Secretary's Decision for Independent Review
In their letter to the DHS Secretary, the four members express support for the DHS Secretary's recent decision to have technical experts from outside DHS conduct an independent review of the reliability of DNDO's "test procedures, test results, associated technology assessments and the cost-benefit analyses" prior to certification of the $1.2 billion ASP acquisition.
(In remarks at the August 16, 2007 meeting of the Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC), the DHS Secretary noted that DHS is working on the next-generation ASP technology that will further enhance and refine its ability to detect and characterize radioactive material, and that he had requested that an independent panel give him advice on the certification of this next-generation system. See ITT's Online Archives or 08/21/07 news, 07082110, for BP summary of the DHS Secretary's remarks at the COAC meeting.)
Members Also Ask DHS to Consider the Results of an Upcoming GAO Audit
The letter also asks that, prior to the Secretary's certification of the merits of the ASP procurement or the DHS Investment Review Board's approval ofthe new systems, DHS carefully consider the findings of an upcoming GAO review of audit issues associated with the reliability and objectivity of DNDO's testing of ASP monitors earlier in 2007, as well as the adequacy of Field Validation and Operational Assessments of ASP Low Rate Initial Production models in realistic operational settings.
(On May 15, 2007, Senator Lieberman and others asked the GAO to verify that any decision by DHS to move ahead with its procurement of next generation nuclear radiation detection monitors is "based on realistic performance testing in operational environments.")
GAO Says its Review Would Not Delay the Certification Process
Senior GAO officials have assured the four members that their review will not delay the DHS Secretary's certification process, currently due in September 2007.
1Senators Lieberman and Akaka and Representatives Thompson and Langevin
2The Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act transferred all DHS radiological and nuclear detection testing authority and funding to DNDO, giving the office end-to-end control of DHS radiation detection research, development, testing, evaluation, and acquisition activities.
For copy of Congressional request for a GAO audit of ASP monitor acquisition, email documents@brokerpower.com.
Congressional letter to DHS Secretary and accompanying press release (dated 08/15/07) available at http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=280853&&.