DHS sets interim regs

The Homeland Security Department is now using interim acquisition regulations governing how it will perform procurements and establishing a mentor-protégé program.

According to a Federal Register notice, DHS issued the interim regulations without the usual step of inviting public comment because "urgent and compelling reasons" required action. Mainly, the combination of agencies from other departments, each of which had followed their own procedures, required new rules to allow continued acquisition and contracting operations.

While the regulations will govern procurement activities, comments will be accepted through Jan. 5. Send comments via e-mail to acquisition@dhs.gov; or via regular mail to DHS, Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Acquisition Policy and Oversight, Attn: Kathy Strouss, 245 Murray Drive, Bldg.. 410 (RDS), Washington, DC 20528.