FEMA begins decommissioning defunct data system

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is moving forward with remediation efforts to properly sunset a data system after it was abruptly shut down following a series of delays last year, according to procurement documents posted Monday. 

FEMA awarded a $405,000 sole source contract to Ardent Management Consulting, which was the last vendor to operate the Field Assessment Collection Tools system. Ardent is responsible for getting the FACT system restored to an operational state before the decommissioning process can begin in order to meet federal law. 

“The abrupt contract lapse prevented the Government from executing planned decommissioning and data migration,” FEMA said in a justification document. “Only the incumbent can logically and efficiently restore the system and extract essential data, ensuring FEMA’s mission continuity and compliance with federal regulations.”

The FACT system was created to support field operations for FEMA’s recovery directorate, containing information tied to disaster survivor assistance, disaster recovery center site selection inspections, a shelter resident assessment tool and preliminary damage assessment. Ardent will migrate all of that data to another system, called the Response Geospatial Mapping and Analysis Center. 

The work, per the contract, started July 1 and has an expected completion date of Sept. 30. The tight schedule was built with compliance in mind.

“The follow-on work must be completed within a limited timeframe … to comply with federal records management and IT security requirements,” FEMA said. “The incumbent’s familiarity with the system and prior performance ensures timely and efficient completion, minimizing risk of delay or data loss.”

The chain of events isn’t how the Department of Homeland Security unit initially anticipated the project panning out. 

For two years, FEMA struggled to keep the train on the tracks. Contract delays dating back to 2024 put the FACT system at risk. By March 2025, DHS had to use a regulatory loophole to keep the system up and running. Then, FEMA missed another deadline to recompete the contract, leading to the system “unexpectedly” shutting down. 

“As a result, stakeholders for this system decided to decommission the system,” FEMA said in the contracting documents. 

The botched project aligns with FEMA’s rather infamous reputation for its poor handling of technology systems. 

Two dozen IT employees, including FEMA’s CIO and CISO, were fired last year by then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after neglecting “basic security protocols.” Earlier this summer, an inspector general report sounded the alarm on the agency’s inability to produce reliable data for decision-making and financial reporting. The nominee to be FEMA’s administrator said during a hearing last month that he was planning a “significant IT overhaul” for the agency if confirmed.