Press Office 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Fact Sheet May 28, 2004

 Contact: 202-282-8010 

THE HOMELAND SECURITY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PROGRAM

A Joint Program between the Office of the Chief Information Officer

and the Office for Domestic Preparedness

Background

• As part of its Fiscal Year 2004 budget, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of 

the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) was provided with funding to conduct information 

technology projects. The OCIO is specifically interested in working through state and local 

public safety agencies to fund novel uses of existing, “state-of-the-market” information 

technology that will remove barriers in homeland security mission critical areas. 

• Since 1998, the DHS Office for Domestic Preparedness (ODP) has worked with state, territory, 

tribal, urban area and local public safety agencies to identify homeland security needs and 

provide the resources required to address these needs. To leverage this experience, and to ensure 

the program’s alignment with the Department’s desire to create a one-stop-shop for state and 

local homeland security resources, the OCIO and ODP have agreed to collaboratively manage 

and administer the funds provided to the OCIO for information technology projects. This joint

program will be known as the DHS Homeland Security Information Technology Evaluation 

Program (ITEP). 

Program Approach 

ITEP is a competitive program intended to foster and evaluate novel uses of existing, “state-of-themarket” information technology that will demonstrate how to remove barriers and improve information 

sharing and integration. Eligible applicants are the State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) in each of the 

fifty states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the 

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the United States Virgin Islands. As part of ITEP, 

the SAA for each state and territory, in collaboration with state CIOs and homeland security directors, 

may submit up to three applications for candidate projects to ODP. The OCIO will coordinate a review of 

the applications through a panel of subject-matter experts. During this review process, highest priority

will be given to projects that best meet the following criteria: 
• Novel use of existing, “state-of-the-market” information technology. 

• A focus on removing one or more significant barriers to technology-to-technology integration and 

insertion in homeland security mission critical areas. 

• Articulation of a concise project plan for overcoming barriers and delivering measurable results 

with minimum risk. 

• Ability to deliver tangible results in the near term with preference given to projects that can show 

demonstrable accomplishments in three to twelve months for less than $1 million of DHS 

funding. 

• Involvement of multiple public safety communities, such as law enforcement, fire, EMS, 

HAZMAT, public health, and medical. 

• Involvement of multiple levels of government and multiple jurisdictions such as city, county, 

state, multi-state, and Federal. 

• Involvement of the private sector. 

• Applicability and affordability of the approach to communities nationwide. 

• A practical plan for sustaining the program beyond the project without the need for ongoing DHS 

funding. 

• The value of the project to the National Strategy for Homeland Security (for example, the value 

of the project toward enhancing the Homeland Security Information Network or the value of the 

project toward solving interoperable communications issues in Urban Areas Security Initiative 

sites).

In addition to the cooperative agreement applications, DHS also requests that each SAA provide a list of 

the other candidate projects that were considered, along with a one-page prospectus on each. This 

prospectus is attached and may be submitted electronically to askcsd@ojp.usdoj.gov. 

Program Milestones 

 

States may submit an application for up to three projects. Applications are due no later than June 30, 

2004, and must be made through the ODP Grants Management System (GMS) at 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm. This solicitation may also be accessed through the GRANTS.GOV 

website at www.grants.gov. Reviews of candidate projects will be completed by July 31, 2004, and grant 

awards will be made no later than September 30, 2004. 

Additional Information 

For additional information on ITEP, please contact the ODP Helpline at 1-800-368-6498 or via e-mail at 

askcsd@ojp.usdoj.gov. 

 
Candidate IT Project Prospectus

1. Contact Information 

Name/Title: 

Organization: 

Phone: 

E-mail: 

2. Project Name 

3. Project Participants (list government jurisdictions, companies, first responder communities) 

4. Statement of the Problem (describe information sharing barriers addressed by project) 

5. Approach for Conducting Project (describe how pilot will use IT to reduce or eliminate barrier) 

6. Benefits (describe the value to homeland security mission)