Department of Homeland Security 

Office of Inspector General 

Challenges Facing FEMA's 
 

Acquisition Workforce 
 

OIG-09-11 November 2008 
 

 Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

 Washington, DC 25028 

November 20, 2008 

Preface 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was 

established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment 

to the Inspector General Act of 1978. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and 

special reports published as part of our oversight responsibilities to promote economy, 

effectiveness, and efficiency within the department. 

This report presents the results of the audit of the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency’s acquisition workforce. We contracted with the independent public accounting 

firm of Foxx & Company to perform the audit. The contract required that Foxx & 

Company perform its audit according to generally accepted government auditing 

standards. Foxx & Company identified three areas where the acquisition workforce 

could be improved. The report contains seven recommendations addressed to the 

Director, Office of Acquisition Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

Foxx & Company is responsible for the attached auditor’s report dated October 24, 2008, 

and the conclusions expressed in the report. 

The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our 

contractor, and have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. 

It is our hope that this report will result in more effective, efficient, and economical 

operations. We express our appreciation to all of those who contributed to the 

preparation of this report. 

Richard L. Skinner 

Inspector General 
October 24, 2008 

Mr. Matt Jadacki 

Deputy Inspector General for Office of Emergency Management Oversight 

Office of Inspector General 

Department of Homeland Security 

245 Murray Drive, SW, Building 410 

Washington, DC 20528 

Dear Mr. Jadacki: 

Foxx & Company performed an audit of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 

acquisition workforce. The audit was performed in accordance with our Task Order No. 

TPD FIG BPA 070007, dated September 11, 2007. 

This report presents the results of the audit and includes recommendations to help 

improve the acquisition workforce’s effectiveness in responding to the requirements of a 

catastrophic disaster. 

Our audit was conducted according to applicable Government Auditing Standards, July 

2007 revision. The audit was a performance audit as defined by Chapter 1 of the 

Standards, and it included a review and report of program activities with a compliance 

element. We did not perform a financial audit, the purpose of which would be to render 

an opinion on the agency’s financial statements. 

We appreciate the opportunity to have conducted this audit. Should you have any 

questions, or if we can be of any further assistance, please call me at (513) 639-8843. 

Sincerely, 

Foxx & Company 

Martin W. O’Neill 

Partner 
Table of Contents/Abbreviations 
 

Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1
 


Background......................................................................................................................................2
 


Results of Audit ...............................................................................................................................5
 


Strategic Plan for Responding to Catastrophic Disasters ..........................................................5 
 

Recommendation .......................................................................................................................8
 


Management Comments and OIG Analysis ..............................................................................8 
 

OAM Policies and Procedures...................................................................................................8
 


Recommendation .....................................................................................................................10
 


Management Comments and OIG Analysis ............................................................................10 
 

Acquisition Workforce Preparedness ......................................................................................11 
 

Recommendations....................................................................................................................14
 


Management Comments and OIG Analysis ............................................................................14 
 

Appendices 

Appendix A: Purpose, Scope, and Methodology...................................................................17 
 

Appendix B: Management Comments to the Draft Report...................................................19 
 

Appendix C: FEMA Organization Chart...............................................................................22 
 

Appendix D: FEMA Office of Acquistion Management Organization Chart.......................23 
 

Appendix E: Report Distribution ..........................................................................................24 
 

Abbreviations 

DAE Disaster Assistance Employee 
 

DHS Department of Homeland Security 
 

FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation 
 

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 
 

FY Fiscal Year 
 

GAO Government Accountability Office 
 

OAM FEMA Office of Acquisition Management 
 

OIG Office of Inspector General 
 

SOP Standard Operating Procedures 
 

VAO Virtual Acquisition Office�
 

OIG
 


Department of Homeland Security 

Office of Inspector General 

Executive Summary 

Foxx & Company audited the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency’s (FEMA’s) disaster acquisition workforce to assess its 

preparedness for catastrophic disasters. The audit objectives were to 

determine whether FEMA has an acquisition workforce strategic plan 

and effective policies for responding to such disasters. Additionally, the 

audit assessed the progress FEMA has made in preparing its acquisition 

workforce. The audit was conducted between January and May 2008. 

See Appendix A for additional details on objectives, scope, and 

methodology. 

FEMA has concentrated its efforts on building an effective acquisition 

organization. However, FEMA also needs to focus on preparing the 

acquisition workforce to respond to a catastrophic disaster. FEMA has 

improved the capability of its acquisition workforce in a number of 

ways. For example, the acquisition organization has been reorganized 

and management and oversight improved, the number of acquisition 

staff has been greatly increased, and FEMA has increased training for its 

acquisition staff. While this is a good first step, FEMA does not have 

the necessary plans and policies, or the well-prepared acquisition 

workforce, that it needs to respond to disasters that result in 

extraordinary levels of casualties, damage, or disruptions. 

We recommend that the Director of FEMA’s Office of Acquisition 

Management develop and implement a strategic acquisition workforce 

plan; coordinate with the other FEMA components and other federal 

acquisition organizations that have responsibilities to prepare for and 

respond to such disasters; develop and implement detailed acquisition 

workforce policies and procedures; complete a staffing analysis to 

determine the appropriate size of the Disaster Assistance Employee 

contracting cadre; develop a succession plan for FEMA’s Office of 

Acquisition Management acquisition staff; initiate a formal mentoring 

program; design a rotation program for headquarters and regional office 

acquisition personnel to obtain disaster contracting experience; and 

provide training and guidance to the field office staff in conjunction with 

reassignment of contract administration responsibilities. FEMA’s 

response is summarized and evaluated in the body of this report and 

included, in its entirety, as Appendix B. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 1 
Background 

In responding to emergencies, whether natural or man-made, current 

doctrine dictates that government agencies and organizations local to 

the situation act as first responders. When state and local 

governments become overwhelmed by the size or scope of the 

disaster, state officials may request assistance from the federal 

government; so federal agencies must always be prepared to provide 

support when needed. President Carter issued an executive order in 

1979 merging many of the separate disaster-related federal functions 

and creating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Homeland 

Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) (Homeland Security Act) 

realigned FEMA and made it part of the newly formed Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS). 

FEMA’s statutory authority comes from the Robert T. Stafford 

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (P.L. 

100-707) (Stafford Act), which was signed into law in 1988 and 

amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-288). To access 

federal assistance under the Stafford Act, states must make an 

emergency or major disaster declaration request that is reviewed by 

FEMA for presidential approval. The Stafford Act also permits 

FEMA to anticipate declarations and pre-stage federal personnel and 

resources when a disaster threatening human health and safety is 

imminent, but not yet declared. 

Reports issued by Congress, the White House, federal Offices of 

Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office 

(GAO), among others, identified issues including questionable 

leadership decisions and capabilities, organizational failures, 

overwhelmed response and communications systems, and inadequate 

statutory authorities, as contributors to the poor response to the 2005 

Gulf Coast Hurricanes. In the wake of these disasters, it became 

clear that FEMA’s efforts to support state and local emergency 

management and to prepare for federal response and recovery in 

natural disasters were insufficient for an incident of such 

catastrophic magnitude. 

FEMA has more than 2,600 full-time employees to carry out its vital 

mission, and about 150 of these employees comprise the acquisition 

workforce in FEMA’s Office of Acquisition Management (OAM).1 

1

 FEMA was unable to provide a detailed listing of on-board personnel by position classification (e.g., 

General Schedule series). 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 2 
As depicted in Figure 1, OAM added a significant number of 

personnel since the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, increasing the 

acquisition workforce from 55 to the current 155 authorized 

positions. These OAM employees work at FEMA headquarters in 

Washington, DC and at regional and area offices across the country. 

Figure 1: FEMA Office of Acquisition Management Staff, 

Authorized and On-Board Full-Time Equivalents 

180 

160 

140 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

On-Board 

Authorized 

2005 2006 2007 2008 

Fiscal Year 

Source: FEMA Office of Acquisition Management. 

FEMA also has nearly 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees 

who are available for deployment after disasters, and 16 of these are 

acquisition workforce personnel. In addition, FEMA works in 

partnership with other organizations that are part of the Nation's 

emergency management system. These partners include state and 

local emergency management agencies, federal agencies, the 

American Red Cross, and other voluntary organizations. 

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, FEMA spent almost $1 billion for goods 

and services. This rose to a little less than $5 billion in FY 2005 and 

to over $7 billion in FY 2006. Most of the increase in these 2 years 

was attributable to the response to and recovery from the 2005 Gulf 

Coast Hurricanes. By FY 2007, FEMA’s overall spending had fallen 

to about $1.5 billion (see Figure 2). 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 3 

Figure 2: FEMA’s FY 2004-2008 Acquisition Spending 

$0 

$1 

$2 

$3 

$4 

$5 

$6 

$7 

$8 

Billions 

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008-Projected 

Fiscal Year 

Source: Federal Procurement Data System – Next Generation Data. 

The 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes severely tested disaster 

management at the federal, state, and local levels and revealed 

weaknesses in the basic elements of preparing for, responding to, 

and recovering from a catastrophic disaster. The Post-Katrina 

Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-295, Title VI 

– National Emergency Management, of the Department of Homeland 

Security Appropriations Act of 2007) (Post-Katrina Act) defined a 

catastrophic disaster as “any natural disaster, act of terrorism, or 

other man-made disaster that results in extraordinary levels of 

casualties or damage or disruption severely affecting the population 

(including mass evacuations), infrastructure, environment, economy, 

national morale, or government functions in an area.” Effective 

disaster preparedness and response require defining what needs to be 

done, where and by whom, how it needs to be done, and how well it 

should be done. In the aftermath of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, 

FEMA was not prepared to provide the acquisition support needed 

for this catastrophic disaster. 

Audits by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of 

Inspector General (OIG) and the GAO have identified deficiencies in 

the acquisition process. Past work has shown that to ensure 

successful acquisition outcomes, certain critical success factors must 

be in place, including sound acquisition planning, good business 

arrangements, and effective contract monitoring and oversight. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

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However, these audits identified deficiencies under these critical 

success factors. In addition, a recent DHS OIG report identified 

opportunities for improvements in acquisition staff and policies and 

procedures.2 

Results of Audit 

The OIG contracted with Foxx & Company to evaluate the 

effectiveness of FEMA’s acquisition workforce in preparing for 

and responding to the acquisition requirements of a catastrophic 

disaster. The audit objectives included determining if FEMA had: 

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A disaster acquisition workforce strategy that is adequate; 

Up-to-date disaster acquisition workforce policies to ensure 

compliance with procurement, contract monitoring, and 

contract management requirements; and 

An appropriately sized, qualified, trained, and geographically 

dispersed disaster acquisition workforce. 

FEMA needs to be better prepared for responding to disasters of 

extraordinary consequence. Although FEMA has made progress, 

opportunities for improvement remain. FEMA, and the OAM in 

particular, need to develop an acquisition workforce strategy, 

detailed policies and procedures, and an acquisition workforce that 

will be ready for a catastrophic disaster response. 

Strategic Plan for Responding to Catastrophic Disasters 

OAM has made changes that will improve its response to 

catastrophic disasters, but more needs to be done. OAM 

reorganized to facilitate disaster response, and it has taken 

considerable actions to improve its management and oversight of 

acquisitions. As part of an organizational realignment in June 

2007, it established the Acquisition Program and Planning Branch 

whose mission is to improve the development and quality of the 

contracts requirements packages. It also established the 

Acquisition Policy and Legislation Branch that has issued 

acquisition guidance, policies, and reference materials. 

2 FEMA’s Preparedness for the Next Catastrophic Disaster (OIG-08-34, March 2008). 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 5 
However, these actions have not included the development of an 

effective acquisition workforce strategic plan for responding to a 

catastrophic disaster. A strategic plan would provide members of 

the acquisition organization the guidance they need, in as much 

detail as possible, to understand what their responsibilities will be 

in responding to a catastrophic disaster. Without a clearly defined 

strategy, measurable goals and benchmarks, and systematic 

monitoring for catastrophic disasters, FEMA will not be in a 

position to properly respond or to measure the success and 

effectiveness of its actions taken to improve the acquisition 

operations in a catastrophic disaster. 

Ensuring an Effective Response 

FEMA has issued a new 5-year strategic plan (for FY 2008-13) 

that includes a goal of providing an integrated approach to 

strengthen the Nation’s ability to address disasters, emergencies, 

and terrorist events. It includes workforce goals, but they are 

broad and do not include a strategy for meeting the special 

acquisition workforce requirements of a catastrophic disaster. It is 

up to OAM to take the next step and prepare a strategic plan for 

catastrophic disaster response. Such a plan is necessary so that an 

effective acquisition workforce response can be implemented and 

to ensure that the staff knows what is expected of them. 

OAM’s emphasis has been on building an organization at FEMA 

headquarters that will enable effective day-to-day acquisitions. 

However, OAM officials said they have not developed plans for a 

catastrophic disaster response. They have developed a strategic 

scorecard that they consider a strategic plan. It addresses many 

acquisition programs and functions, including human capital, 

efficiency and productivity, policies and procedures, program 

management and systems, and financial accountability. The OAM 

scorecard has performance outcomes, measures, targets, and 

initiatives, and is useful in helping OAM track its improvement 

efforts. However, it does not meet the need to have a strategic plan 

for responding to a catastrophic disaster. 

OAM needs to develop a strategic plan that identifies what needs 

to be done, by whom, and how well it should be done in the event 

of a catastrophic disaster. An OAM strategic plan should address: 

�	 An acquisition workforce deployment strategy for 
 

headquarters and the regions; 
 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 6 
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A clear chain of command delineating lines of authority 

and responsibility along which orders are passed in the 

event of a catastrophic disaster; 

Individual responsibilities of acquisition workforce 

personnel; 

Lines of communication to enable OAM and field office 

personnel to exchange information and respond effectively; 

Training and experience requirements; 

A methodology for measuring progress in achieving the 

goals of the strategic plan; 

Scalability of the acquisition workforce to address disasters 

of differing sizes; and 

Compatibility with the National Incident Management 

System. 

Finally, OAM could benefit from coordinating with three 

organizations that are focusing on catastrophic disaster planning. 

The Catastrophic Planning Division, in FEMA’s Disaster Operations 

Directorate, is planning responses for two catastrophic disaster 

scenarios. The Supplemental Disaster Contracting Cadre Office, a 

part of the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Federal 

Procurement Policy, is organizing volunteers from contracting 

organizations within the federal government to deploy to 

catastrophic disasters. The Disaster Reserve Workforce Division is a 

new organization in FEMA’s Office of Management that will 

manage maintaining and deploying the reserve employee workforce 

for response to disasters. Although OAM was in the process of 

beginning coordination efforts at the conclusion of our fieldwork, it 

needs to ensure that full coordination with the three groups occurs. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 7 

Recommendation: 

We recommend that the Director, Office of Acquisition 

Management: 

Recommendation #1: Develop a strategic acquisition workforce 

plan for responding to catastrophic disasters. 

a.	 	Develop this plan in coordination with the three other 

organizations that are focused on responding to 

catastrophic disasters—the Catastrophic Planning Division, 

the Supplemental Disaster Contracting Cadre Office, and 

the Disaster Reserve Workforce Division; and 

b.	 Develop this plan in coordination with other federal 

acquisition organizations that have responsibilities for 

disaster acquisition activities. 

Management Comments and OIG Analysis 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 1. FEMA said OAM will 

develop a strategic acquisition workforce plan for responding to 

catastrophic disasters. 

We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s issuance and DHS OIG review of the 

catastrophic disaster acquisition workforce plan. However, agency 

officials should provide target completion dates for implementing 

their planned actions. 

OAM Policies and Procedures 

Once a strategic plan is developed, policies and procedures are 

needed to carry it out. OAM has implemented new policies and 

requirements for its acquisition workforce such as improved 

advanced planning, accurate documentation, workforce training, 

and contract monitoring. It has also implemented the Virtual 

Acquisition OfficeTM (VAO), an online service designed to provide 

the acquisition workforce with the federal acquisition information, 

insight, and analysis needed for performing acquisition functions. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 8 
However, some OAM staff said the acquisition workforce needed 

more detailed policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) 

for disaster-related acquisitions. Without clearly defined and 

documented policies and procedures, OAM’s acquisition 

workforce will not be in a position to properly respond to a 

catastrophic disaster. 

Detailed Policies and Procedures Needed for the 

Acquisition Workforce 

OAM implemented a number of improvements, including some 

policies and procedures, to better prepare for responding to 

emergency situations, including issuing the Emergency Acquisition 

Field Guide and the Disaster Contracting Desk Guide, and 

developing the VAO website. It also developed Contract 

Administration Plans, which are designed to facilitate efficient and 

effective administration planning and outline required levels of 

surveillance, contract terms and conditions for contract 

administration, performance milestones, and reporting 

requirements. However, these actions do not adequately address 

how acquisition professionals should respond to a catastrophic 

disaster. 

OAM policies and procedures need to address specific actions to 

be taken in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Specific SOPs 

need to be written for catastrophic disasters and effectively 

communicated to field office acquisition workforce personnel. 

Uniform SOPs are sets of instructions and clearly written 

descriptions of how particular tasks are to be performed. SOPs 

ensure that acquisition operations can be executed consistently and 

effectively and that federal regulations are uniformly applied. 

Acquisition staff from one field office told us that they were 

independently developing SOPs that would provide the level of 

detail needed to better guide the acquisition workforce to 

effectively and consistently respond to disaster declarations. 

However, such SOPs should be developed and implemented by 

OAM on a FEMA-wide basis. For example, FEMA did not have 

adequate policies and procedures addressing: 

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Who would deploy from OAM during catastrophic 
 

disasters;
 

What the role of OAM headquarters acquisition staff would 

be; 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 9 

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What would be the SOPs for acquisition staff at 

headquarters, the regional offices, and the joint field 

office(s); and 

What steps would be taken to coordinate with FEMA’s 

Finance and Logistics staff. 

OAM uses the VAO website to provide the acquisition workforce 

with policies, procedures, checklists, samples, access to 

information, knowledge, and insights on acquisition-related topics. 

It provides a wide range of documents and guidance, all related to 

federal acquisition, including: the Federal Acquisition Regulation 

(FAR) and agency implementing regulations, government-wide 

policies and guidance, agency policies and guidance, and 

acquisition checklists and samples. 

Although it does not currently provide information on specific 

actions to be taken to respond to catastrophic disasters, it would be 

a useful tool for disseminating policies and procedures for 

responding to a catastrophic disaster once they are developed. 

OAM’s emphasis has been on developing the policies and 

procedures that will improve its acquisition operations. OAM has 

not taken the next steps to develop detailed SOPs, or set up lines of 

communication and knowledge sharing to better guide the 

acquisition workforce in responding to a catastrophic disaster. 

Recommendation: 

We recommend that the Director, Office of Acquisition 

Management, in coordination with acquisition staff at FEMA 

headquarters and regional offices: 

Recommendation #2: Develop detailed acquisition workforce 

policies and procedures, consistent with the acquisition workforce 

strategic plan, that provide the guidance needed to respond to 

catastrophic disasters. 

Management Comments and OIG Analysis 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 2. OAM will develop detailed 

acquisition workforce policies and procedures, as considered necessary, 

to implement OAM’s strategic acquisition workforce plan identified in 

recommendation 1. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 10 
We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s issuance and DHS OIG review of detailed 

acquisition workforce policies and procedures for catastrophic 

disasters. However, agency officials should provide target 

completion dates for implementing their planned actions. 

Acquisition Workforce Preparedness 

OAM has increased the size of its acquisition workforce from the 

55 staff members who were in place when the 2005 Gulf Coast 

Hurricanes struck to a current level of 155 authorized positions. 

The location of the current OAM workforce is shown in Figure 3. 

Figure 3: FEMA Office of Acquisition Management Workforce 

by Location 

FEMA
 


Headquarters
 


Washington, DC
 


68%
 


Source: FEMA Office of Acquisition Management. 

Gulf Coast
 


Recovery Office
 


Louisiana
 


16%
 


Gulf Coast
 


Recovery Office
 


Mississippi
 


7%
 


Gulf Coast
 


Recovery Office
 


Alabama
 


1%
 


FEMA Regional
 


Offices
 


8%
 


OAM has also increased its emphasis on the training and 

development of the workforce. It developed a Disaster Training 

Course to guide contracting professionals on how to award 

contracts during a disaster and issued acquisition field and desk 

guides. However, opportunities for improved management that 

would better prepare the workforce for catastrophic disaster 

response remain. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 11 

FEMA’s Efforts to Improve Workforce Management 

In the aftermath of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, FEMA’s 

acquisition workforce was criticized for failure to respond in a 

timely manner and to respond with an adequate number of 

experienced contracting personnel qualified to handle the demands 

of the catastrophic damage. In response, OAM has added 

contracting personnel, reorganized OAM, awarded a number of 

pre-disaster response and recovery contracts, issued contracting 

guidance, and issued policies to improve the purchase card 

program. It also increased the number of and training for 

Contracting Officer Technical Representatives, a move that will 

help solve the problems of monitoring contracts in the next 

catastrophic disaster. 

OAM officials said that efforts have been hampered by employee 

turnover and its current workforce’s need for hands-on experience 

with active disasters. OAM could not provide turnover or attrition 

information nor did it track hands-on experience with disasters. In 

addition, OAM has not realigned its new workforce to strategically 

place personnel where they are most needed, such as the field 

locations where catastrophic disasters are likely to occur. 

Furthermore, staff in the field offices visited said they were 

overworked and that headquarters was transferring contract 

monitoring and management responsibilities to the field offices 

without increased staffing or guidance. OAM has made 

acquisition workforce improvements, but further actions are 

needed to develop a nationwide workforce that will be ready for a 

catastrophic disaster response. Specific areas of opportunity 

include: 

Disaster Assistance Employees 

OAM officials said that the Disaster Assistance Employee (DAE) 

contracting cadre was not sufficient in number. The primary 

contracting specialists deployed to disasters are members of this 

cadre. At the time of our review, the cadre consisted of 16 

contracting specialists. An OAM official estimated that 30 to 60 

contracting specialist DAEs were needed to have an effective 

contracting cadre. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 12 

Succession Planning 

OAM officials said that a high attrition rate has resulted in its 

workforce consisting of many new contracting staff with less 

experience than the staff being replaced. Although requested, 

FEMA could not provide documentation on OAM’s attrition rate. 

In addition, many of the acquisition workforce staff will be eligible 

for retirement in the near future. Nevertheless, FEMA had not 

developed a succession plan for potential retirees and losses of 

acquisition workforce personnel to other federal agencies or 

private industry. 

Mentoring Program 

OAM did not have a structured mentoring program for employees 

to ensure that FEMA contracting experience and guidance on 

operating in a disaster-contracting environment could be passed on 

to employees with less experience. With the large ramp up in 

acquisition workforce staff, many of the new employees are new to 

contracting or coming from other agencies and have various 

contracting backgrounds. A mentoring program to provide 

technical contracting direction would aid OAM in guiding less 

experienced staff in a disaster environment. 

Mandatory Rotation Program 

OAM did not have a mandatory rotation program to ensure that the 

contracting personnel in headquarters and regional offices received 

experience in disaster environments. With the majority of the 

acquisition workforce assigned to headquarters, it is likely that in a 

catastrophic disaster headquarters personnel will be assigned to the 

disaster. Because the conditions at a disaster site are different from 

a headquarters or regional office, the contracting personnel 

deployed to disasters from those offices might not have the 

disaster-related experience needed to ensure that contracting is 

done correctly. 

Workload Distribution 

OAM officials have begun to delegate administrative and 

management responsibilities for large multiyear disaster contracts 

that were originally awarded by OAM headquarters to field office 

acquisition workforce officials. According to field office 

personnel, the management and monitoring of these contracts are 

added responsibilities. The field officials said that without 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 13 
additional guidance from OAM, they were not comfortable with 

their knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage and administer 

these large multiyear contracts awarded by FEMA headquarters. 

Without appropriate workforce management, OAM’s acquisition 

staff will not be in a position to properly carry out its 

responsibilities in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Although 

OAM has taken a number of actions and implemented training 

initiatives to provide contracting staff with the necessary skills for 

their positions, more needs to be done to better prepare the 

workforce for catastrophic disasters. 

Recommendations: 

We recommend that the Director, Office of Acquisition 

Management: 

Recommendation #3: Complete a staffing analysis to determine 

the number of DAEs needed for the contracting cadre and increase 

the cadre size consistent with the results of the analysis. 

Recommendation #4: Develop a succession plan for its 

acquisition staff that will provide the appropriate number of welltrained and experienced staff for the OAM workforce. 

Recommendation #5: Initiate a formal mentoring program to 

better guide and assist new employees. 

Recommendation #6: Design a rotation program for headquarters 

and regional office personnel to obtain disaster contracting 

experience and the skills needed when deployed to a catastrophic 

disaster. 

Recommendation #7: Provide training and guidance to the field 

office staff in conjunction with the reassignment of contract 

administration responsibilities. 

Management Comments and OIG Analysis 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 3. FEMA stated that 

OAM would undertake a staffing analysis, if appropriate to 

implement recommendation 1, to determine the appropriate 

number of DAEs needed to support OAM in responding to 

catastrophic disasters. However, given the acquisition support 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 14 
 

provided by FEMA’s DAEs, headquarters staff, regional 

contracting offices, and Gulf Coast Recovery staff and the 

acquisition support available from Department of Homeland 

Security components, the General Services Administration, and 

other Federal agencies, an increase in the number of DAEs may 

not be warranted. 

We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s completion of the staffing analysis and DHS 

OIG review of the final decision on the DAE contracting cadre. 

However, agency officials should provide target completion dates 

for implementing their planned actions. 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 4. OAM will develop a 

succession plan, consistent with its workforce needs. 

We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s issuance and DHS OIG review of the succession 

plan. However, agency officials should provide target completion 

dates for implementing their planned actions. 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 5. OAM now has a 

formal mentoring program and a new employee orientation 

3 program. 

We consider the recommendation resolved and closed. OAM’s 

mentoring program established in June 2008, if appropriately 

implemented, is responsive to the recommendation. 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 6. FEMA said that OAM 

intends to develop a rotation program; however, the availability of 

personnel, the associated costs, and the extent to which a rotation 

is the most effective use of FEMA resources must be considered. 

We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s development and DHS OIG review of the 

rotation program. However, agency officials should provide target 

completion dates for implementing their planned actions. 

3

 FEMA provided copies of the policies and procedures for its formal mentoring program and the updated 

OAM employee handbook. Due to their size, these documents were not included in Appendix B. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 15 

FEMA concurred with recommendation 7. FEMA stated that 

OAM would review existing contract administration policies and 

procedures with a view to strengthening them, if warranted. 

We consider FEMA’s planned action responsive to the 

recommendation. The recommendation is resolved and open 

pending FEMA’s issuance and DHS OIG review of revised 

contract administration policies and procedures. However, agency 

officials should provide target completion dates for implementing 

their planned actions. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 16 

Appendix A 

Purpose, Scope, and Methodology 

The purpose of the audit was to assess the preparedness of 

FEMA’s acquisition workforce to respond to a catastrophic 

disaster. The FEMA acquisition function was severely challenged 

in responding to the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, the Nation’s 

most costly natural disasters, which killed more than 1,800 

persons, destroyed more than 300,000 Gulf Coast homes, and 

displaced about 1 million people. 

The goal of the audit was to determine what improvements have 

been made in the acquisition process that will enable FEMA to 

more properly respond to another catastrophic disaster. The 

specific objectives of the audit were to determine whether OAM 

had: 

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A disaster acquisition workforce strategy that is adequate 

for satisfying the requirements of a catastrophic disaster; 

Developed up-to-date disaster acquisition workforce policy 

and guidance to ensure compliance with procurement, 

contract monitoring, and contract management 

requirements; and 

A disaster acquisition workforce that was appropriately 

sized, qualified, trained, and geographically dispersed. 

The audit focused on FEMA’s disaster acquisition workforce and 

included an analysis of: strategic and operational planning, existing 

staffing structures and capabilities, employee turnover, and 

training. FEMA is required to adhere to acquisition-related 

policies and procedures that are promulgated in the FAR.4 FEMA 

is also required to adhere to the Homeland Security Acquisition 

Regulation and the Homeland Security Acquisition Manual, Office 

of Federal Procurement Policy guidance, and the Stafford Act. 

The audit methodology included work at FEMA headquarters in 

Washington, DC, and at four field locations: two Joint Field 

Offices (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi) and two 

FEMA Regional Offices (Atlanta, Georgia, and Denton, Texas). 

FEMA could not provide turnover or attrition data nor did it track 

the level of disaster experience of staff who were deployed to 

4

 The FAR is codified in Title 48 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. It is issued pursuant to 

the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-400) and Title 41 of the United 

States Code, Chapter 7. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 

Page 17 
Appendix A 

Purpose, Scope, and Methodology 

disasters. FEMA also was unable to provide a detailed listing of 

on-board personnel by position classification (i.e., General 

Schedule series). 

We conducted this performance audit according to generally 

accepted government auditing standards (Government Auditing 

Standards, July 2007 revision). Those standards require that we 

plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate 

evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the 

evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and 

conclusions based on our audit objectives. 

Our work at FEMA headquarters was designed primarily to gain an 

understanding of how OAM is currently structured and to 

determine whether improvements have been made since the 2005 

Gulf Coast Hurricanes. The purpose of our field office visits was 

to obtain an understanding of what operational changes have been 

made at these locations. 

Our audit considered FEMA and OAM policies and procedures 

implemented since the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, as well as 

other applicable federal acquisition requirements. At all of the 

locations visited, including FEMA headquarters, we interviewed 

responsible officials and obtained documentation to verify changes 

or corrective actions taken. The headquarters and field office work 

was conducted from January 2008 through May 2008. 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 18 

Appendix B 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 
 

Page 19 
 
Appendix B 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 
 

Page 20 

Appendix B 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 
 

Page 21 
 
Appendix C 

FEMA Organization Chart 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 
 

Page 22 
 
Appendix D 

FEMA Office of Acquisition Management Organization Chart 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 
 

Page 23 
 
Appendix E 

Report Distribution 

Department of Homeland Security 

Secretary 

Deputy Secretary 

Chief of Staff 

Deputy Chief of Staff 

General Counsel 

Executive Secretary 

Director, GAO/OIG Liaison Office 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Policy 

Under Secretary, Management 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Public Affairs 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Legislative Affairs 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Administrator 

Acting Chief Financial Officer 

Director, Office of Management 

FEMA Audit Liaison (Project Code DC7A03) 

Office of Management and Budget 

Chief, Homeland Security Branch 

DHS OIG Budget Examiner 

Congress 

Congressional Oversight and Appropriations Committees, as 

appropriate 

Challenges Facing FEMA’s Acquisition Workforce 


Page 24 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND COPIES 

To obtain additional copies of this report, please call the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at (202) 254-4199, 

fax your request to (202) 254-4305, or visit the OIG web site at www.dhs.gov/oig. 

OIG HOTLINE 

To report alleged fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement, or any other kind of criminal or noncriminal 

misconduct relative to department programs or operations: 

• Call our Hotline at 1-800-323-8603; 

• Fax the complaint directly to us at (202) 254-4292; 

• Email us at DHSOIGHOTLINE@dhs.gov; or 

• Write to us at: 

DHS Office of Inspector General/MAIL STOP 2600, 

Attention: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 

245 Murray Drive, SW, Building 410, 

Washington, DC 20528. 

The OIG seeks to protect the identity of each writer and caller.