The Government Accountability Office has found that 19 federal agencies had allocated more than $5.6 billion on contracts as of Dec. 31, 2017 to support initiatives in response to three hurricanes last year.

GAO said in a report published Wednesday about 97 percent of those contract obligations in response to hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria were from the departments of Homeland Security and Defense.

DHS’ Federal Emergency Management Agency spent approximately $3.1 billion on contracts, while DoD’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accounted for $1.8 billion of the total contract obligations.

The report noted that agencies have earmarked over $2 billion for food, shelter and water and approximately $3.6 billion for power restoration and other services.

The congressional watchdog found that 73 percent of the contract obligations were awarded through a competitive acquisition process as of Dec. 31.

The report also showed that 74 percent of the contracts were awarded through a competitive procurement in the first three months following each hurricane’s landfall, up from 53 percent recorded during Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the hurricane season last year resulted in approximately $265 billion in damages and affected about 25.8 million.

Pennsylvania State University’s Applied Research Laboratory has received a potential 10-year, $2.11 billion contract from the Naval Sea Systems Command to research and develop technology platforms to aid U.S. national security efforts.

“Under this new agreement, ARL scientists and engineers will expand their vital role developing research that advances science and promotes national security,” Neil Sharkey, vice president for research at Penn State, said in a statement published Thursday.

Penn State’s ARL is one of the 14 Defense Department-designated University Affiliated Research Center laboratories.

The university noted that its laboratory conducts research programs in technology areas such as communications, cybersecurity, directed energy, electro-optics and information processing.

ARL also operates the Navigation Research and Development Center, which tests national systems for positioning, navigation and timing applications.

The laboratory also works with the U.S. Navy and industry partners to develop advanced materials and additive manufacturing methods.

The Office of Management and Budget has named the seven members of a board that will evaluate project proposals from federal agencies seeking to receive funds through the potential $500 million Technology Modernization Fund to update information technology systems, Nextgov reported Thursday.

The seven-member Technology Modernization Board will be led by Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer, and will be established on March 12 in compliance with the Modernizing Government Technology Act.

The other six board members are:

• Alan Thomas, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service
• Charles Worthington, chief technology officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Maria Roat, CIO of the Small Business Administration
• Mark Knidienger, director of the cybersecurity division at the Department of Homeland Security
• Matt Cutts, acting administrator of the U.S. Digital Service
• Rajive Mathur, CIO of the Social Security Administration

OMB announced the board members days after Director Mick Mulvaney issued a memorandum that outlines measures and goals agencies should implement to achieve compliance with the MGT ACT.