How to Survive DHS Budget Cuts

by Stephanie Sullivan, Consultant

Based on OMB’s May 18 memo, even more cuts are expected for FY14…but just how much is expected? OMB is asking for every agency to achieve an agency-wide 10% reduction in IT spending to maximize efficiency.

Rear Admiral Robert Day may have said it best: “In FY12, the nice to haves went away; in FY13, the need to haves will go away; and in FY14, some of the must haves will go away.”

For DHS, this means that the agency, with the full support of DHS CIO Richard Spires, will increasingly rely on shared services and the cloud first model.  The agency will continue to depend on strategic sourcing to leverage the purchasing power of the entire department for items such as software licenses and wireless communication devices. All in all,  DHS expects to save more than $264 million dollars through the use of these contracts in FY13

So, what can industry do in order to successfully sell into DHS?

• Strive to fully understand requirements
• Improve speed in delivering new products and capabilities
• Incorporate green technology solutions into product and system development
• Reduce operational support costs in the design phase