Emergency Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Audit of Health Resources and Services Administration's Award Process for a Contract With Collaborative Fusion, Inc.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY :

The audit is one of several reviews of procurements by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and other components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. 

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and the Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation (HHSAR) provide, among other things, that HHS agencies award each contract to a responsible party and document compliance with requirements for full and open competition and the determination that the price was fair and reasonable.  

As part of HHS's hurricane relief operations, HRSA awarded a contract to Collaborative Fusion, Inc . ( Collaborative Fusion).  The contract obligated Collaborative Fusion to provide assistance to HRSA and the States in setting up a temporary health professional volunteer registry.  Our objective was to determine whether HRSA complied with FAR and HHSAR requirements during the award process involving Collaborative Fusion.  HRSA complied with the requirements.