The Department of Interior's FY26 budget allocates $1.98 billion for Information Technology and cybersecurity — 2.9% of the agency's overall discretionary budget. CIO Andrea Brandon's stated 2026 priorities focus on AI integration and IT centralization. Coverage from FedScoop, Executive Gov, and DOI.
FY26 budget priorities
- $33.2M for cybersecurity operations and incident-driven remediation
- $885K for evidence-based information and open-data programs
- $527K for radio modernization (broadband for field employees)
- $1.1M for Western Oregon Information and Data Systems
The AI roadmap
Brandon's stated priority for 2026: continue enhancing DOI's AI roadmap by examining business processes and identifying which are ripe for AI pilot. Practical impact: DOI procurement should expect AI-services solicitations through FY26.
Centralization per Secretary's April directive
DOI is centralizing IT infrastructure and compliance functions across the department under an April Secretary order. For contractors, this means:
- Existing distributed agency-level IT contracts may consolidate into department-wide vehicles
- Procurement officials shifting from bureau-level to department-level decision-making
- Cybersecurity compliance becomes more uniform across DOI bureaus (BLM, BIA, NPS, USGS, etc.)
Recent audit finding
An audit found that DOI misclassified $40 million worth of IT purchases during FY 2022-2024. Risk consequences: redundant purchases, breach risk, vulnerability exposure. Translation: DOI will tighten IT procurement governance, and that tightening could include more rigorous contractor screening.
What to do
- If you do AI services and have a federal track record: DOI will be issuing AI pilot solicitations through FY26
- For cybersecurity firms: $33.2M is real money for incident response and remediation
- For services firms: monitor the centralization rollout — bureau-level contracts may sunset in favor of DOI-wide vehicles
- Watch the Foundation Cloud Hosting Services (FCHS2) recompete — DOI's cloud vehicle