[Comments on Air Force and Army Corps of Engineers Procurement Violations]
Highlights
GAO commented on the Air Force and Army contract award for operation and maintenance services. GAO noted that: (1) two statutory violations occurred during the procurement; (2) the Air Force failed to coordinate with the Small Business Administration the removal of this requirement from the small business program and failed to consider this requirement for a possible small business set-aside; (3) these failures violate the Small Business Act and implementing regulations; (4) the fact that the purchase was being made through an Economy Act transaction did not exempt the Air Force from complying with the Act; (5) the statement of work in the Army contract was so broad as to violate the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 (CICA); and (6) because the Economy Act generally permits agencies to procure services under another agency's contract without full and open competition only where that contract was awarded in compliance with CICA, the Air Force acted improperly in using the Army contract here.