The Department of Homeland Security’s procurement office has pulled together a team of procurement experts to help sort out industry offers to help the department in responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa says the COVID-19 Procurement & Acquisition Innovation Response (PAIR) team “is providing support to FEMA and our other DHS components, in the review, vetting and coordination of incoming COVID-19 related inquiries, particularly those that offer new and innovative ideas and solutions.”
FEMA is the DHS Federal Emergency Management Agency and is working with all 50 states, territories and tribes in response to the emergency declaration for COVID-19.
Correa, in a March 31 letter to industry posted on the federal government’s procurement website, said that the PAIR team is a response to the “significant surge in inquiries and offers to help” from industry. Members of the team include experts in operational procurement, procurement policy, industry engagement, strategic sourcing and procurement innovation.
DHS is using flexible and “innovative approaches” to meeting requirements for the pandemic, said Correa, who is also the department’s senior procurement executive.
Industry offers and inquiries related to COVID-19 should still come through the DHS Industry Liaison email box ([email protected]) for immediate referral to Correa’s Strategic Sourcing Program Office for “validation and tracking of sources of critically needed supplies, or, to the PAIR Team,” she said.
In response to outreach by industry offering to help the Transportation Security Administration in its response to COVID-19, the agency last week created a central email point of contact to ensure requests for assistance get to the appropriate people. TSA’s email for COVID-19 related offers to assist is [email protected].