The agency wants to knew whether its social-media campaigns are falling flat. | AP Photos FDA spends to monitor social media

The FDA is asking a company led by a former Obama campaign hand to analyze its Twitter and Facebook presence, and some critics are questioning the wisdom of the potential $180,000 tab at a time when agencies are living with sequester cuts.

The agency, which oversees food and drug safety, as well as tobacco regulation, wants to know whether its social media campaigns are well-received or falling flat.


The competitively bid contract, posted publicly Wednesday, was awarded to IB5k, a company co-founded in 2009 by Dan Beckmann, a new-media aide to President Barack Obama’s first campaign for the White House. The first year of the contract is worth an estimated $43,000, with options to extend the deal up to four more years bringing the total potential value to $182,000.

Under the terms of the deal, IB5k is charged with providing a software tool capable of analyzing the FDA’s “engagement, sentiment, likes, follows, and mentions” on various social media platforms.

The FDA is also seeking to “monitor overall conversations to see what the public is discussing about our work, answer questions for them, and develop consumer content for FDA.gov and our social media channels.”

“Every day, as part of FDA’s mission to protect and promote the public health, the agency issues a high volume of often-complex information that is critical to the health of Americans,” Assistant Commissioner Steven Immergut said.

“We know that many people use social media to get their health information, and we must make sure this information is well understood,” he continued. “This contract is about promoting public health and making sure that we are reaching consumers with the information they need. It will help FDA more effectively communicate to the public and fulfill our core mission.”

But to critics on Capitol Hill, even a well-intentioned attempt to bolster the FDA’s public face is tin-eared in a time of fiscal austerity and sequester cuts.

“It’s outrageous for the FDA to spend nearly $200,000 to promote itself on social media when it is claiming sequestration may hurt its ability to approve life-saving drugs and medical devices,” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said in a statement to POLITICO. “Lives are more important than ‘likes.’ FDA should cancel this contract immediately and refocus itself on its core mission. The fact that FDA is even contemplating such contracts suggests the agency has plenty of room to tighten its belt.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, also ripped the contract.

“On its face, it cannot be contended this is a necessary contract—especially at a time when federal workers and agencies are facing real cuts. Worse, it seems to raise privacy concerns and to have a political purpose rather than furthering the core goals of the FDA,” he said.

Asked about the criticism of the cost, Immergut emphasized that only $43,000 of the contract is guaranteed. The rest is “subject to a number of factors including budget and need.” The agency began seeking bids for the contract last month.

Beckmann, the software company co-founder, says that social media analysis could actually be a cost- and time-saver. It can prevent agency staff from having to sift through thousands of interactions to figure out what’s working and what isn’t, he said. He emphasized that he isn’t sure how the FDA intends to use the social media tool, known as Corellate.

Beckmann said his campaign connection with Obama hasn’t meant it’s been favored for administration contracts — and in fact, the company’s done some of it’s high-profile work for House leadership. IB5k has helped GOP leaders monitor incoming email and messages from constituents.

“We don’t have a reputation for being an Obama company, in that respect,” he said.