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Open Recommendations (10 total)

Cloud Computing: Agencies Need to Address Key OMB Procurement Requirements

GAO-24-106137
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should ensure that the CIO of NSF updates its guidance to require that contracts affecting the agency's high value assets that are managed and operated in the cloud include language that provides the agency with continuous visibility of the asset. (Recommendation 35)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should ensure that the CIO of NSF updates guidance to put a cloud SLA in place with every vendor when a cloud solution is deployed. The guidance should include language that addresses OMB's required elements for SLAs, including: clear performance metrics and remediation plans for non-compliance. (Recommendation 33)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should ensure that the CIO of NSF updates its existing contracts for high value assets that are managed and operated in the cloud to meet OMB's requirement once guidance from the CIO Council is available on language that provides the agency with continuous visibility of the asset. If modifying the existing contract is not practical, the agency should incorporate language into the contract that will meet OMB's requirement upon option exercise or issuance of a new award. (Recommendation 36)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
National Science Foundation The Director of the NSF should ensure that the CIO of NSF develops guidance regarding standardizing cloud SLAs. (Recommendation 34)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

National Science Foundation: Additional Steps Would Improve Cost Estimate for Antarctic Research Infrastructure Project

GAO-24-106380
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF should ensure that the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernization for Science cost estimate meets the well-documented characteristic of a reliable cost estimate, as defined in GAO's cost guide. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Research Reliability: Federal Actions Needed to Promote Stronger Research Practices

GAO-22-104411
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF should collect information on relevant indicators of rigor to assess the research projects the agency funds, and implement steps, as needed, to promote strong research practices in future work. (Recommendation 3)
Open
NSF agreed with this recommendation. On January 17, 2023, NSF stated that it will support research and workshops aimed at developing an understanding of possible candidates for robust indicators of rigor in different types of science and engineering research. The information gathered from the workshops, and research on scientific rigor indicators, will inform the policies and procedures that NSF can use to enhance the rigor of the research projects the agency funds and promote the use of sound and improved research practices. This work will take place between September 2023 and September 2025.
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF should take steps to collect information to determine whether current policies and requirements are adequate to achieve transparency by ensuring research results and data are findable, accessible, and usable, and implement programmatic or policy changes, if needed. (Recommendation 4)
Open
NSF agreed with this recommendation. On January 17, 2023, NSF stated that it will conduct a study to assess the degree to which current policies and practices are ensuring that research results and data are findable, accessible, and reusable. NSF will explore strategies to improve public access to research outputs. The information gathered from these efforts will inform potential updates to policies and procedures which support transparency and public access to the products of research made possible through NSF awards. As part of this activity, NSF anticipates that the next update to its Public Access Plan will occur in FY 2023.

Earthquakes: Opportunities Exist to Further Assess Risk, Build Resilience, and Communicate Research

GAO-22-105016
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF should, in collaboration with NIST, develop strategies to better communicate NEHRP's priorities to research entities. (Recommendation 4)
Open
As of October 2023, NSF officials report that they are developing strategies to better communicate NEHRP priorities and relevant research findings to appropriate audiences. These strategies may include 1) adding information about research priorities to relevant solicitations; 2) adding information about priorities to NSF web pages; and 3) discussing the priorities during outreach events attended by relevant research entities.

Data Governance: Agencies Made Progress in Establishing Governance, but Need to Address Key Milestones

GAO-21-152
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of the National Science Foundation should direct the Chief Data Officer to conduct a gap analysis between the current staff's skills and the skills the agency requires, and establish a baseline performance plan to close the identified data skills and literacy gaps. (Recommendation 9)
Open
In its Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request to Congress, NSF reported that it completed the skill gap analysis in December 2023. NSF reported its next step will be to establish a baseline performance plan to address skills gaps and recommend approaches for closure. We will continue to monitor NSF's develop of its performance plans.

National Science Foundation: Cost and Schedule Performance of Large Facilities Construction Projects and Opportunities to Improve Project Management

GAO-19-227
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
National Science Foundation The Director of NSF should assess the agency's large facilities oversight workforce to identify any project management competency gaps, develop a plan to address any gaps and time frames for doing so, and monitor progress in closing them. (Recommendation 1)
Open – Partially Addressed
NSF agreed with this recommendation and has taken some steps to identify, address, and monitor competency gaps, but has not yet fully addressed the recommendation. For example, in April 2020 we reported that NSF hired a contractor to develop a competency model and identify competency gaps through a proficiency assessment and workforce gap analysis. While the analysis found certain individuals had gaps in certain areas such as award management, project management, and risk management, among others, the results showed that the NSF's project teams as a single group possessed the competencies expected. According to NSF officials, NSF is using the results of the analysis to address these gaps by developing a course curriculum tool that generates individual training plans for its major facilities oversight staff. The competency model will be used as a basis for monitoring project management competencies of oversight staff during individual assessments. In addition, NSF has also revised standard operating guidance that defines the minimum core competencies for oversight of major facilities projects to incorporate the competency model. According to NSF officials, the course curriculum tool has been tested and will be available for use by NSF staff in the third quarter of fiscal year 2022. We will continue to review NSF's progress in implementing the course curriculum tool, and will provide an update once NSF provides documentation showing that the tool has been implemented.
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