Reliable Systems: The DHS TED must develop and acquire reliable hardware and software systems to maximize operational effectiveness. This need requires assessing and inserting reliability into the natural life cycle of T&E planning, execution, and assessments. Considering reliability early creates a measurable return on investment, ensuring systems work when needed with lower sustainment costs. The challenge is to conduct useful reliability testing when evaluating vendor-provided systems during a limited test duration (e.g., acceptance testing or operational testing only). The DHS TED requires access to T&E reliability planning, tools, methods, procedures, and subject matter experts to improve the reliability of its acquisitions.
