GSA takes issue with critical purchasing report
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General Services Administration officials are disputing a draft Defense Department inspector general report that finds fault with how DOD acquires services with GSA.
General Services Administration officials are disputing a draft Defense Department inspector general report that finds fault with how DOD acquires services with GSA.
Although the report recommends that the two agencies continue working together, GSA officials challenged many of the conclusions and are upset that the draft made it into the public domain.
'I am absolutely stunned by the lack of professionalism showed by certain members of the DOD IG team,' said GSA administrator Lurita Doan, who expressed surprise that the draft report was released while the analysis is continuing.
Doan and GSA Federal Acquisition Service commissioner Jim Williams 'submitted independent letters to DOD about the sheer number of inaccuracies in the report,' Doan said. 'We will continue to work with DOD to resolve these issues as we move forward,' she added.
A Defense IG spokesman had no comment on Doan's remarks, but said that IG Terry McKinney spoke about the report at panel discussions which were not intended to be public.
Still, the IG 'stands by the findings and conclusions of our draft audit report,' the spokesman said. 'To date, nothing has been provided to us to change our position.'
The draft report was mandated in the fiscal 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, which required both GSA and DOD inspectors general to reexamine the policies, procedures and internal controls through GSA's Client Support Centers. The mandate came after Defense IG reports found considerable numbers of contracting irregularities over the past several years, leading GSA to establish its 'Get it Right' program.
GSA IG officials told Congress earlier this year that the agency has made enough progress to keep DOD as a customer.
The Defense IG reviewed 56 of approximately 18,960 purchases GSA made on behalf of the department during fiscal 2005. Fifty-five of those purchases, the report said, 'were either hastily planned or improperly executed or funded.'
Specifically, the report found:
- DOD organizations 'lacked acquisition planning' on 55 purchases
- DOD and GSA 'did not have adequate interagency agreements' on 54 purchases
- Of 14 sole-source contracts reviewed, GSA 'did not provide adequate justification' for six such awards
- DOD did not develop and implement adequate quality assurance surveillance plans on 42 purchases
- Twelve purchases may have violated the Anti-deficiency Act
- DOD 'did not maintain an audit trail of the funds used' to make eleven of the purchases.
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