Sec. 402. Acquisition authorities for technical support offices
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Subtitle D of title VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 391 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: Within the Department, there shall be an Office of Test and Evaluation to— serve as the principal advisor for test and evaluation support across the Department; and serve as the liaison with— Federal agencies, foreign, Tribal, State, and local governments; the private sector; institutions of higher education; and other relevant entities. The Office of Test and Evaluation shall be led by a Director to oversee the requirements specified in paragraph
(1)and to carry out the following responsibilities: Establish and update, as necessary, test and evaluation policies, procedures, and guidance for the Department. Ensure, in coordination with the Chief Acquisition Officer, Joint Requirements Council, and relevant component heads, that major acquisition programs— complete reviews of operational requirements to ensure such requirements— are informed by threats, including physical and cybersecurity threats; are operationally relevant; and are measurable, testable, and achievable within the constraints of cost and schedule; complete independent testing and evaluation of technologies and systems throughout development; complete operational testing and evaluation that includes all system components and incorporates operators into the testing to ensure that systems meet the mission need as intended in the appropriate operational setting; use independent verification and validation of test and evaluation implementation and results, as appropriate; and document whether such programs meet all operational requirements. Provide oversight of test and evaluation for the major acquisition programs of the Department throughout the acquisition life-cycle by— approving program test and evaluation master plans, plans for individual test and evaluation events, and other related documentation, determined appropriate by the Director; approving the independent test and evaluation agent or third party tester selected for each program; and providing an independent assessment to the acquisition decision authority that assesses a program’s progress in meeting operational requirements and operational effectiveness, suitability, and resilience to inform production and deployment decisions. Determine if testing conducted by other Federal agencies, entities, and institutions of higher education are relevant and sufficient in determining whether systems perform as intended. Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Director of the Office of Test and Evaluation shall submit to the Secretary, the Under Secretary for Management, the component heads, and the appropriate congressional committees a report relating to the test and evaluation activities of the major acquisition programs of the Department for the previous fiscal year. Each report required under subparagraph
(A)shall include the following: An assessment of— test and evaluation activities conducted for each major acquisition program in the previous fiscal year, including progress with respect to demonstrating operational requirements and operational effectiveness, suitability, and resilience for each program; any waivers of, and deviations from, program test and evaluation plans that occurred during the previous fiscal year; any concerns raised by such waivers or deviations; and the actions that have been taken or are planned to be taken to address the concerns. Recommendations with respect to resources, facilities, and levels of funding made available for test and evaluation activities. Each report required under subparagraph
(A)shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. Within the Department, there shall be an Office of Systems Engineering and Standards to— provide systems engineering, standards, and human systems integration support across the Department; and serve as the liaison, with respect to such engineering, standards, and systems, with— Federal agencies, foreign, Tribal, State, and local governments; the private sector; institutions of higher education; and other relevant entities. The Office of Systems Engineering and Standards shall be led by a Director. The Director shall— establish and update systems engineering, standards, and human systems integration policies, procedures, and guidance for the Department; ensure, in coordination with relevant component heads, major acquisition programs— integrate applicable standards into development specifications; and complete systems engineering reviews and technical assessments during development to inform production and deployment decisions; and provide oversight of systems engineering, standards, and human systems integration for the major acquisition programs of the Department throughout the acquisition life-cycle by— approving the systems engineering life-cycle tailoring plans of a program; providing independent assessments, in coordination with the Office of the Chief Information Officer— of the technical approach of a program; and of any significant changes to the technical approach of a program, to inform key acquisition decisions, such as initiating development; and participating in program systems engineering life-cycle technical reviews. In this section, the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) ). . Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report list of ongoing and completed projects by Federally funded research and development centers within the Department for the previous year. The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by this Act, is further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 835 the following new item: Sec. 836. Technical Support Offices. .
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