The Protection Division’s next-generation background investigation system has made some progress after dealing with prolonged delays and value overruns, however the Authorities Accountability Workplace warned that DoD’s projected schedule to ship the $4.6 billion program by 2028 nonetheless isn’t dependable.
In the meantime, lawmakers are involved that the Pentagon has but to nominate a brand new director on the Protection Counterintelligence and Safety Company, which oversees growth of the system.
Throughout a Tuesday listening to hosted by the Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee’s Subcommittee on Authorities Operations, lawmakers received an replace on the Nationwide Background Investigation Providers (NBIS) program.
Justin Overbaugh, the deputy beneath secretary of protection for intelligence and safety, testified that “by the end of 2027, DCSA will deploy core NBIS shared services.” These embrace the brand new Personnel Vetting Questionnaire, “enhanced data repositories, and background investigation functionalities,” Overbaugh advised lawmakers.
“Key customers will transition to NBIS, and legacy IT systems will enter the final migration phase,” Overbaugh added.
DCSA supplies background investigation providers for 95% of the federal authorities. The supply of NBIS is core to an overhaul of the federal government’s personnel vetting operations often called “Trusted Workforce 2.0.”
The objective is to streamline and modernize a background investigation course of recognized for prolonged delays that hinder how rapidly businesses and contractors can onboard new workers.
“By the end of 2028, DCSA will operationalize the end-to-end TW 2.0 model, enabling all agencies to use modernized vetting workflows, streamlined onboarding, and risk based continuous vetting,” Overbaugh stated. “Legacy investigative products, standard forms, and systems are scheduled to sunset, culminating in a unified federal vetting ecosystem.”
Overbaugh’s replace largely aligns with what DCSA officers projected on the finish of 2024 after they detailed a brand new NBIS program plan. DCSA initiated that plan after pausing this system and conducting a assessment into the causes of its delays and value overruns.
DoD launched the NBIS program in 2016 to switch legacy Workplace of Personnel Administration background investigation techniques. DoD initially projected NBIS could be delivered by 2019.
However NBIS has confronted persistent price overruns and delays stemming from poor program administration and lax oversight from Pentagon officers.
In the meantime, a number of lawmakers expressed concern that DoD has but to pick out a brand new everlasting DCSA director after David Cattler retired final September.
Within the interim, Overbaugh is serving as performing DCSA director, along with his deputy secretary duties.
“I’m disappointed there’s still no permanent replacement for Director Cattler,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) stated. “Steady leadership is important for continuity and accountability. The National Background Investigation Service needs to become operational. Having a permanent director at DCSA would send a strong message that the DoD is serious about the issue.”
‘Risks’ in new NBIS schedule
The projected whole price ticket on the NBIS venture has now ballooned to $4.6 billion by fiscal 2031. That features the $2.4 billion spent on NBIS growth and sustaining legacy background investigation techniques for the reason that program’s begin. And DCSA’s newest price estimate tasks an extra $2.2 billion in NBIS prices by fiscal 2031, in response to the Authorities Accountability Workplace.
GAO’s Alyssa Czyz, additionally testifying earlier than the Home committee, stated DCSA has made progress on the NBIS program lately. She stated the $2.2 billion determine represents a “reliable cost estimate for the first time ever” for NBIS.
“A reliable estimate should help the program better manage expenses, avoid unexpected increases and promote transparency,” Czyz stated.
However she stated DCSA’s venture schedule for this system is “still not reliable.”
“Notably, DCSA has not done a risk analysis, and thus cannot determine where slippage is most likely to occur,” Czyz stated. “Without implementing this best practice, it cannot effectively target actions to milestones that are at the most risk.”
Overbaugh acknowledged that the progress DCSA has made on NBIS is “exceptionally fragile.”
“We’re going to have to stay laser-focused on this,” he stated. “We can’t wait another 10 years. We’ve already spent way too much, the American taxpayers dollars on this problem, and we are committed to delivering this capability by fiscal 2028.”
DCSA plans to finalize a “business operationalization synchronization schedule” by April to handle a few of the dangers recognized by GAO, Overbaugh stated. He added that DoD would share the schedule with lawmakers.
“We will, and we must get our hands around a detailed schedule that enables the agency itself to hold itself accountable and for our oversight partners to hold us accountable,” Overbaugh stated. “That is nonnegotiable. We will achieve that in the coming months.”
Overbaugh stated DCSA additionally plans to ship some key capabilities within the close to time period, together with “adjudicative improvements for public trust cases, expanded use of interim secret clearances and broader application of vetting services features.”
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