Collecting Data about Emergency Relief Efforts

A Government-wide effort is underway to collect information about contract actions for hurricane rescue and relief, related specifically to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ophelia. Consequently, DHHS needs to identify all such actions. OMB has decided that the Federal Procurement Data System - Next Generation (FPDS-NG) will be the source for rescue and relief-related contract data. DHHS is implementing this guidance through its Departmental Contracts Information System (DCIS). To facilitate reporting on Katrina rescue and relief efforts, on September 7, 2005, our DCIS contractor, RN Solutions, requested that contracting personnel insert "HKRP" in item 26, 'Project Title Description' in DCIS. That guidance is hereby rescinded. RN Solutions will convert all reports coded "HKRP" to the new and improved coding, specified below. Thus, contract actions already coded "HKRP" in item 26 will not require updating or resubmission on your part. To standardize our rescue and relief-related reporting with emerging Government-wide practice, we now request that contracting personnel select "Katrina," "Rita," or "Ophelia" from the new drop-down menu for Item 6M, "Description of Requirement" in DCIS. Other contract rescue and relief efforts, e.g. Wilma, may be added in the future. DCIS will permit selection of only one Hurricane relief effort for any given contract action. So, if a contract action supports rescue or relief efforts for more than one hurricane, please select the hurricane with the predominant estimated dollars obligated. If in doubt, please select "Katrina." Since Item 6M is a free-form text description of the contract action requirement, you may still add text to the Hurricane name. However, please do not type "Katrina," "Rita," or "Ophelia" elsewhere in Item 6M. Our report software searches for occurrences of these words. Inclusion of two or more of them will result in double-counting of your action. To meet critical OMB, OIG, Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, and ASAM reporting requirements, please update your existing DCIS records in accordance with the above instruction, by November 15, 2005. Also, please enter any new hurricane-related contract actions into DCIS within 5 working days after award. Thank you very much.