Homeland Security No-Bid Contract

In February, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was entering into a no-bid contract with a private, Catholic school in Erie, PA (enrollment, 3100) "to develop and run an intelligence analyst certificate" program. Mercyhurst College has five professors in its one-year old Institute for Intelligence Studies. Georgetown University has nearly 70 professors and George Washington University has 25, according to Public Integrity. College President William P. Garvey resigned in February after being accused of sexually abusing six men when they were minors (1960s-1980s).

The College, through Institute spokesperon Robert J. Heibel -- a former deputy chief of counterterrorism at the FBI -- says it was unaware that this was a sole-source (no-bid) contract: "We were totally unaware that this would be a no-competition contract, and it was DHS's decision to make."

Federal goverment rules on non-competitive contracts: [warning: legalese]

• 6.302-1. Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.
• 6.302-2. Unusual and compelling urgency.
• 6.302-3. Industrial mobilization; engineering, developmental, or research capability; or expert services.
• 6.302-4. International agreement.
• 6.302-5. Authorized or required by statute.
• 6.302-6. National security.
• 6.302-7. Public interest.

See also Public Integrity, followup; Baltimore Chronicle; WJET