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Better Methods for Validating and Reconciling Unfilled Materiel Orders Could Provide Substantial Economies to the Army

PLRD-82-76 Published: Jun 02, 1982. Publicly Released: Jun 02, 1982.
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Highlights

GAO made this follow-up review to assess the effectiveness of actions taken by the Army to strengthen its policies, procedures, and practices for periodically validating and reconciling older, outstanding materiel orders.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to establish and include in all pertinent Army regulations and technical manuals a uniform definition of materiel order validation and detailed guidance for conducting indepth validation checks. The Secretary should also require Army commands to establish and implement at the divisional and nondivisional user levels standard operating procedures for performing materiel order validation checks.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to revise existing and proposed policy and procedures to expand time allowed for materiel validation checks and to restrict such checks to outstanding materiel orders meeting the Department of Defense's age criteria for validation.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to strengthen existing and proposed procedures and controls by requiring that customer validation responses of continuing need for ordered materiel be subjected to independent sampling accuracy checks and authenticated in writing by a higher command level.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to strengthen provisions of the proposed standard procedures applicable to cancellation of orders repeatedly not validated by customers, by requiring that the customers be notified in writing at the start of a validation cycle that their validation responses will be subject to independent sampling checks and that orders not validated will be canceled.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to establish, as a part of the proposed standard Army validation and reconciliation procedures, an information system which will enable local management and higher command levels to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of customer performance in validating materiel orders.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Army to strengthen prescribed procedures by requiring that underlying causes of significant materiel order reconciliation discrepancies be investigated and corrected.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Army to revise the automated reconciliation process at the intermediate supply level to restrict quarterly reconciliations with wholesalers to open orders in a backorder status. The Army should also revise the automated process at this level to provide preparation of the appropriate follow-up document to notify wholesalers of action needed to correct open orders at the retail level which are not on record at the wholesale level.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Army to revise the automated reconciliation process at the wholesale level so that intermediate supply activities' requisition follow-up responses to validation requests are accepted and acted on.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretary of the Army to revise the automated system at the wholesale level to send on-line all requisition coded reject documents to intermediate supply levels.
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
See All 9 Recommendations

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Topics

National Defense
Army procurementArmy suppliesCost effectiveness analysisInformation systemsMilitary inventoriesPolicy evaluationProperty and supply managementRecords managementSpare partsMilitary forces