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Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center: Clarifying Rationale for the Research and Development Funding Decisions Would Increase Accountability

GAO-09-339R Published: Mar 12, 2009. Publicly Released: Mar 12, 2009.
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Highlights

 

This letter formally transmits the summary of an oral briefing we gave on December 8, 2008, and subsequent agency comments. We gave this briefing in response to Senate Report 110-129, accompanying the 2008 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill. In accordance with direction in that report, and in consultation with House and Senate Appropriation Committee staff, we are reporting on the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center (CTAC). Specifically, we address issues pertaining to CTAC's use of funds since fiscal year 2003, the ONDCP Director's approach to funding decisions for research and development, CTAC's measures of performance, and CTAC's reorganization in 2007.

 

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of National Drug Control Policy The ONDCP Director should identify the role that different factors play in funding decisions, and document the basis used to select particular research and development project concepts for funding, including the rationale for selecting certain project concepts over others.
Closed – Not Implemented
In fiscal year 2009, we reported on the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) director's approach to funding decisions for the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center's (CTAC) research and development program. We reported that CTAC's research and development funding decisions were not documented and, therefore, not fully consistent with internal control standards. We recommended that the ONDCP Director identify the role that different factors play in funding decisions, and document the basis used to select particular research and development project concepts for funding, including the rationale for selecting certain project concepts over others. In an August 7, 2009, letter to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, the ONDCP director described the project concept review and selection process that ONDCP developed in response to GAO's recommendation. The letter noted that CTAC staff reviewed and rated concept submissions using the following criteria: (1) consistent with the CTAC reauthorization language; (2) consistent with ONDCP's strategic priorities; (3) technically feasible; (4) leverages interagency cooperation and funding; (5) fulfills an unmet need; and (6) cost. The letter did include information on the rationale the ONDCP Director used to select certain project concepts over others in making his final decisions. As we noted in our report, without information on how the ONDCP director weighted the various factors, and what his rationale was for funding certain project concepts over others, there is a lack of transparency in how funding decisions have been made, and it is difficult to know whether the project concepts the ONDCP Director selected for funding met the highest priority research and technology needs of the counterdrug community. In a March 14, 2011, e-mail, ONDCP's Deputy General Counsel stated that ONDCP's General Counsel determined that the annual CTAC report that the agency submits to Congress fulfills the obligation that the Director document the rationale for selecting specific project concepts over others. Based on this information and conversations with ONDCPs General Counsel, GAO does not believe that further actions will be taken to fully implement the recommendation and it is therefore closed not implemented.

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Topics

Allocation (Government accounting)Data collectionData integrityDocumentationSubstance abuseDrug abuse preventionDrugsFederal fundsFinancial managementFunds managementInteragency relationsPerformance measuresProgram evaluationRecords managementResearch and developmentResearch and development costsTechnology transfer