The Department of Homeland Security said its capability needs and gaps have evolved as its response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue and plans to host a virtual industry day this Wednesday to discuss its priorities.
“The Industry Day is intended to provide an opportunity for industry to hear directly from me and other DHS officials about DHS’s current priorities and know problem statements related to COVID-19 response efforts,” DHS Chief Procurement Officer Soraya Correa said in a May 28 letter to industry posted that evening on the government’s beta.sam.gov business opportunities site.
Correa’s note follows an April letter to industry that announced the use of a rapid acquisition mechanism to acquire innovative commercial products in support of the COVID-19 response. Since then, she said industry has generated an “overwhelming response” and that DHS is “extremely impressed by the submissions we have received to date.”
Correa’s office and department components have been “diligently leading proposal peer review efforts,” she said.
Correa’s latest message doesn’t say what DHS’s new capability needs and gaps are.
In the department’s April solicitation, it said the “the Government seeks to rapidly accelerate the testing and fielding of new capabilities, employing innovative commercial products to the detection of exposure, prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 and similar microbial threats.”