DHS wants to shift to agile in a FLASH
DHS is looking for a dozen agile-minded and nontraditional companies to help with its upcoming agile design and development support services contract.
The Department of Homeland Security is eager to talk with potential vendors about what the agency is hoping to accomplish with agile development.
The agency is lining up a contract vehicle, dubbed Flexible Agile Support for the Homeland (FLASH), to provide DHS headquarters and component agencies with agile design and development support services. The anticipated agency-wide vehicle will include concepts from the U.S. Digital Services Playbook such as user-centered design, dev-ops, automated testing and agile.
At a recent industry event, DHS CIO Luke McCormack said FLASH could become a significant building block for the agency's acquisition efforts and that he was working closely with top-level colleagues to develop more progressive procurement techniques..
A DHS digital services team member told FCW a day before a planned industry day that the agency hoped to facilitate discussions between vendors and the agency, and between vendors themselves who might then partner up to bid on the agile contract.
The June 29 industry day is closed to the press.
According to contracting documents, the agency wants to hear from "non-traditional" organizations that don't normally do business with government, as well as more traditional contractors and potential teams of both.
DHS is eyeing a July 11 release of the FLASH request for proposals, with contract awards due by the end of the fiscal year, according to contracting documents -- though agency officials said that a timeline is likely to be presented at the event. DHS is anticipating eight to 12 awardees.