This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-02-331 entitled 'Defense Acquisitions: Collection and Reporting of Information Technology Purchases' which was released on January 28, 2002. This text file was formatted by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this document to Webmaster@gao.gov. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this material separately. United States General Accounting Office: GAO: Report to Congressional Committees: January 2002: Defense Acquisitions: Collection and Reporting of Information Technology Purchases: GA0-02-331: United States General Accounting Office: Washington, DC 20548: January 28, 2002: Congressional Committees: The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001[Footnote 1] directed the Secretary of Defense to collect specific procurement data[Footnote 2] on the purchase of information technology (11) products and services made by the military services and defense agencies in excess of $100,000. The act specified that data collection was to begin on October 30, 2001, and the Secretary was to issue his first annual report to the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives by March 15, 2002. Section 812 also directed us to issue a report to the congressional defense committees by January 31, 2002, assessing the progress the Department of Defense (DOD) is making in complying with the act. This report responds to that mandate. Results in Brief: DOD is making good progress in meeting congressional requirements. To date, it has modified appropriate data collection systems to enable them to collect and report all mandated data. Defense components and civilian agencies have begun collecting all of the mandated data. DOD has also implemented controls to maintain data integrity. Lastly, DOD officials see no obstacles to issuing the Department's first report on IT data collection efforts by the March 15, 2002, deadline. We are not making recommendations in this report. In commenting on our draft, DOD agreed with our findings. Background: The Senate Armed Services Committee Report[Footnote 3] on the fiscal year 2001 defense authorization bill expressed concern that DOD had insufficient data available to effectively support management decisions regarding its purchases of IT products and services. [Footnote 4] As DOD was planning to spend $20.3 billion on IT in fiscal year 2001, the Committee stated that it was imperative that DOD have visibility over how these funds are spent. The Conference Report[Footnote 5] associated with the act noted that the requirements for collecting the mandate data would be met by incorporating new data elements into the existing Defense Contract Action Data System (DCADS). This is DOD's data collection system for reporting contract actions to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). Subsequent to Defense Acquisition Regulations Council approval, the Contract Reporting Committee of the Council initiates all changes to DCADS. The primary instrument used in collecting procurement data from defense contracting offices worldwide is the Individual Contracting Action Report (DD Form 350). This form must be completed and forwarded monthly to the Washington Headquarters Services' Directorate for Information, Operations and Reports (DIOR)[Footnote 6] for all procurement transactions in excess of $25,000. DIOR is responsible for compiling and preparing procurement reports for the Department. Some civilian agencies will also collect the mandated data because they make IT purchases with DOD funds. Such agencies report similar procurement data to the FPDS on an Individual Contract Action Report (Standard Form 279). Existing Data Collection Systems Modified to Meet Mandated Requirements: DOD began to initiate changes to the existing data collection systems shortly after the act became law on October 30, 2000. Prior to the act, DOD, and civilian agencies that purchased IT products and services for DOD, collected most of the mandated data in the existing DCADS and FPDS systems. During the past year, these systems were modified to collect centrally all mandated IT procurement data elements and facilitate reporting. In making these changes, the Contract Reporting Committee first revised the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement to capture all mandated IT data on the DD Form 350.[Footnote 7] Second, the Committee worked with the FPDS Steering Committee to revise the FPDS Reporting Manual. These revisions to the manual modified the Standard Form 279--the civilian counterpart to the DD Form 350—so that civilian agencies could collect the mandated IT data. Military services and defense and civilian agencies began collecting all mandated IT data on October 1, 2001. As in the past, Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Defense Logistics Agency will collect IT data independently through DCADS and forward this data to DIOR monthly. All defense agencies except the Defense Logistics Agency will continue to report similar data through the Army. Data Monitoring Efforts: DIOR has establishing an ongoing monitoring program to maintain integrity in the collecting and reporting of IT data. Its efforts include performing edit checks and tests of all incoming data, requesting and analyzing feedback from field activities, and analyzing data in preparing congressionally-mandated annual reports. DOD officials told us that this type of monitoring is routinely performed whenever changes are made to the DCADS system. DOD officials told us that all of these tasks have been completed at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and defense and civilian agencies. Reporting of IT Data: As of January 14, 2001, a DIOR official said he saw no obstacles to prevent the Department from issuing the first report on its IT data collection efforts by March 15, 2002, as mandated in the act. The Secretary of Defense will issue this report to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives. DIOR officials envision the report as presenting a status of the Department's efforts to implement section 812 of the act as well as most IT procurement data for fiscal year 2001. Subsequent reports will contain IT procurement data for all elements mandated by the act. Agency Comments: In providing oral comments on a draft of this report, DOD agreed with our findings. Scope and Methodology: To determine the extent to which DOD had implemented congressionally- mandated changes, we met with members of the Contract Reporting Committee of the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council and DIOR officials. In addition, to determine implementation status at the military services and defense agencies, we met with officials from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Logistics Agency. To ascertain that applicable changes have been made to facilitate the collection of IT data, we reviewed the revised Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement and DOD's revised Individual Contracting Action Report (DD Form 350). We also reviewed the revised FPDS Reporting Manual and the revised FPDS Individual Contract Action Report (Standard Form 279). We did not validate the DCADS and FPDS systems or edit checks related to IT purchases, nor did we review any mandated IT data that was collected by the military services and defense agencies. We conducted our review between November 2001 and January 2002 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. We are sending copies to the Secretaries of Defense, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force; the Director, Defense Logistics Agency; and the Director, Office of Management and Budget. We will also make copies available to others upon request. Please contact me at (202) 512-4125 or Catherine Baltzell at (202) 512- 8001 if you have any questions regarding this report. Major contributors to this report include William M. McPhail. Sincerely yours, Signed by: David E. Cooper: Director: Acquisition and Sourcing Management: List of Congressional Committees: The Honorable Carl Levin: Chairman: The Honorable John Warner: Ranking Minority Member: Committee on Armed Services: United States Senate: The Honorable Bob Stump: Chairman: The Honorable Ike Skelton: Ranking Minority Member: Committee on Armed Services: House of Representatives: The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye: Chairman: The Honorable Ted Stevens: Ranking Minority Member: Subcommittee on Defense: Committee on Appropriations: United States Senate: The Honorable Jerry Lewis: Chairman: The Honorable John P. Murtha: Ranking Minority Member: Subcommittee on Defense: Committee on Appropriations: House of Representatives: [End of section] Appendix I: Information Technology Data Mandated to Be Collected: The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001, section 812, subsection (b) states that the Secretary of Defense must collect the following data for each purchase of IT products or services made by a military department or defense agency in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold—-currently $100,000. * The products or services purchased. * Whether the products or services are categorized as commercially available off-the-shelf items, other commercial items, non- developmental items other than commercial items, or other noncommercial items or services. * The total dollar amount of the purchase. * The form of contracting action used to make the purchase. * In the case of a purchase made through an agency other than the Department of Defense: - the agency through which the purchase is made and; - the reasons for making the purchase through that agency. * The type of pricing used to make the purchase (whether fixed price or another type of pricing). * The extent of competition provided in making the purchase. * A statement regarding whether the purchase was made from: - a small business concern, - a small business concern owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, or. - a small business concern owned and controlled by women. * A statement regarding whether the purchase was made in compliance with the planning requirements under sections 5122 and 5123 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 (40 U. S. C. 1422 and 1423). [End of section] Footnotes: [1] P.L. 106-398, section 812. [2] See appendix I for list of data to be collected. [3] Senate Report 106-292. [4] Historically, DOD IT purchases from civilian agencies were included in government-wide data as civilian agency procurements. [5] House Report 106-945. [6] Washington Headquarters Services is a DOD agency. [7] Instructions for completing the DD Form 350 are in DFARS Part 253.204-70. [End of section] GAO’s Mission: The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analysis, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. 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