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Privatization Program Matures' which was released on April 28, 2006. 

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Report to Congressional Committees: 

April 2006: 

Military Housing: 

Management Issues Require Attention as the Privatization Program 
Matures: 

GAO-06-438: 

GAO Highlights: 

Highlights of GAO-06-438, a report to congressional committees. 

Why GAO Did This Study: 

The Department of Defense (DOD) intends to privatize about 87 percent 
of the military-owned housing in the United States by 2010. As of 
December 2005, it had awarded 52 projects to privatize over 112,000 
family housing units and had plans to award 57 more projects to 
privatize over 76,000 more units over the next 4 years. The program, 
begun in 1996, has become DOD’s primary means to improve family housing 
and to meet its housing needs when communities near installations do 
not have enough suitable, affordable housing. 

Because of expressed interest related to the oversight responsibilities 
of several committees, GAO assessed (1) whether opportunities exist to 
improve DOD’s oversight of awarded housing privatization projects, and 
(2) to what extent projects are meeting occupancy expectations. 

What GAO Found: 

Although DOD and the individual services have implemented program 
oversight policies and procedures to monitor the execution and 
performance of awarded privatized housing projects, GAO identified 
three opportunities for improvement. First, the Navy’s methods for 
overseeing its awarded projects have not been adequate to identify and 
address operational concerns in some projects or to ensure accurate 
reporting of project information. As a result, there is less assurance 
that Navy management could become aware of project performance issues 
in a timely manner in order to plan needed actions to mitigate the 
concerns. For example, contrary to project agreements, funds from one 
project had not been deposited to a Navy reserve account to provide for 
future project needs, and the Navy had not been reimbursed for police 
and fire protection services provided to another project. Compared to 
the Navy, the Army and Air Force had more robust and comprehensive 
methods for overseeing awarded projects and GAO did not find similar 
oversight concerns in the Army and Air Force projects it reviewed. 
Second, the value of DOD’s primary oversight tool—the semiannual 
privatization program evaluation report—has been limited because the 
report lacks a focus on key project performance metrics to help 
highlight any operational or financial concerns, has not been issued in 
a timely manner, and does not ensure data accuracy by requiring 
periodic independent verification of key report elements. Third, data 
collected on servicemember satisfaction with housing, which is 
important for benchmarking and tracking of satisfaction levels over 
time as well as for making service-to-service comparisons, are 
inconsistent and incomplete because DOD has not issued guidance to the 
services for standardized collection and reporting of satisfaction 
information for all servicemembers. 

Sixteen, or 36 percent, of 44 awarded privatization projects had 
occupancy rates below expectations with rates below 90 percent, as of 
September 30, 2005. In an attempt to increase occupancy and keep rental 
revenues up, 20 projects had begun renting housing units to parties 
other than military families, including 2,077 units rented to single or 
unaccompanied servicemembers, retired military personnel, civilians and 
contractors who work for DOD, and civilians from the general public. 
Still, rental revenues in some projects are not meeting planned levels, 
resulting in signs of financial stress. If lower than expected 
occupancy and rental revenues continue in the long term, the result 
could be significantly reduced funds available to provide for future 
project needs and renovations or, in the worst case, project financial 
failures. Factors contributing to occupancy challenges include 
increased housing allowances, which have made it possible for more 
military families to live off base thus reducing the need for 
privatized housing, and the questionable reliability of DOD’s housing 
requirements determination process, which could result in overstating 
the need for privatized housing. DOD has yet to implement some previous 
GAO recommendations to improve the reliability of the requirements 
assessments supporting proposed projects. 

What GAO Recommends: 

GAO recommends that DOD take five actions to improve the oversight of 
awarded housing privatization projects. In commenting on a draft of 
this report, DOD generally agreed with our recommendations. 

{hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-438]. 

To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on 
the link above. For more information, contact Barry W. Holman at (202) 
512-5581 or holmanb@gao.gov. 

[End of Section] 

Contents: 

Letter: 

Results in Brief: 

Background: 

Opportunities Exist to Improve the Oversight of Awarded Privatization 
Projects: 

Lower Than Expected Occupancy Creates Concerns in Some Privatization 
Projects: 

Conclusions: 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

Appendixes: 

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology: 

Appendix II: Details on 12 Housing Privatization Projects: 

Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Defense: 

Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments: 

Tables: 

Table 1: Privatization Projects Awarded and Planned as of December 
2005: 

Table 2: Awarded Privatization Projects with Occupancy Rates Below 
Expectations as of September 30, 2005[A]: 

Table 3: Examples of Changes in Monthly Housing Allowances for 
Servicemembers with Dependents[A]: 

Table 4: Details on the 12 Housing Privatization Projects We Visited: 

Figures: 

Figure 1: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Fort Meade, Maryland: 

Figure 2: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Fort Stewart, Georgia: 

Figure 3: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia: 

Figure 4: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida: 

Figure 5: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at the South Texas Project (Naval Air Station Corpus Christi), Texas: 

Letter: 
April 28, 2006: 

Congressional Committees: 

The Department of Defense (DOD) intends to privatize about 87 percent 
of the military-owned housing in the United States by 2010. Since the 
enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
1996, which provides for private-sector financing, ownership, 
operation, and maintenance of military housing,[Footnote 1] 
privatization has become DOD's primary means for improving family 
housing and meeting requirements when the communities near 
installations do not have an adequate supply of suitable, affordable 
housing. Similar to servicemembers who live in the local community, 
servicemembers who choose to live in privatized housing receive a 
housing allowance that they use to pay rent and utilities. According to 
DOD officials, the purpose of the housing privatization program is to 
help improve servicemember quality of life by improving the condition 
of military-owned housing faster and more economically than would be 
achieved by the use of traditional military construction funding. By 
the end of December 2005, the services had awarded 52 projects to 
privatize over 112,000 family housing units and had plans to award 57 
more projects to privatize over 76,000 more units over the next 4 
years.[Footnote 2] According to DOD, the 52 awarded projects will 
provide about $13.9 billion in housing improvements, with private- 
sector developers and lenders providing about $12.9 billion, or about 
92 percent of the financing, and DOD providing the balance. 

This report represents a continuation of our long-standing reviews of 
issues related to housing privatization. We initiated this engagement 
under the authority of the Comptroller General of the United States, 
and the report is addressed to you because of expressed interest 
related to your committees' oversight responsibilities. This report 
determines (1) whether opportunities exist to improve DOD's oversight 
of awarded housing privatization projects, and (2) to what extent 
awarded projects are meeting occupancy expectations. 

To address these issues, we summarized program implementation status 
and costs, compared the status to DOD's goals and milestones, and 
discussed issues affecting program implementation with DOD and service 
officials. In doing so, we relied on program status data provided by 
DOD and the services. We confirmed the status data for 12 projects, but 
we did not otherwise test the reliability of the data. We visited 
installations where 12 projects were underway to review actual project 
performance and to determine whether performance information and 
concerns were adequately captured and reported to top management in a 
timely manner. The installations were chosen because they contained 
established privatization projects, represented each of the military 
services, and in some cases had reported occupancy challenges. We 
compared occupancy rates in awarded projects with occupancy 
expectations; and, for the 12 projects at the installations we visited, 
we explored the causes, consequences, and service response when 
occupancy levels were below expectations. We also examined and compared 
DOD's and the services' policies, guidance, and procedures for 
overseeing awarded privatization projects. We conducted our work from 
July 2005 through February 2006 in accordance with generally accepted 
government auditing standards. A more detailed description of our scope 
and methodology is included in appendix I. 

Results in Brief: 

Although DOD and the individual services have implemented program 
oversight policies and procedures to monitor the execution and 
performance of awarded privatized housing projects, opportunities exist 
for improvement. Though owned and managed by the private sector, 
adequate oversight of privatized housing is essential to help monitor 
and safeguard the government's interests and to help ensure the long- 
term success of the housing privatization program, and its importance 
has become even greater as the number of housing privatization projects 
has increased. We identified three areas of concern--the adequacy of 
the Navy's oversight methods, the usefulness of DOD's primary oversight 
report, and the consistency of tenant satisfaction data--which offer 
opportunities for enhancing the oversight of awarded privatization 
projects. 

* The Navy's methods for overseeing its awarded projects have not been 
adequate to identify and address operational concerns in some projects 
or to ensure accurate reporting of project information. As a result, 
there is less assurance that Navy management could become aware of 
project performance issues in a timely manner in order to plan needed 
actions to mitigate the concerns. For example, we found that funds 
earmarked for future project needs at one project had not been 
deposited to a Navy reserve account and the Navy had not been 
reimbursed for the cost of police and fire protection services provided 
to another project, as specified in a project memorandum. Also, status 
information for five of the eight Navy and Marine Corps projects we 
reviewed was inaccurately reported to DOD headquarters management. 
Compared to the Navy, the Army and Air Force had more robust and 
comprehensive methods for overseeing awarded projects and we did not 
find similar oversight concerns in the Army and Air Force projects we 
reviewed. Navy officials stated that they recognized the need for 
improvements to their oversight methods. As such, they informed us that 
they have begun a review to upgrade their monitoring and oversight 
process to ensure consistency and completeness, and the Navy says it 
has taken steps to address the concerns identified at the projects we 
visited. However, until improvements are implemented, the adequacy of 
the Navy's oversight will continue to be questionable. 

* Although primary responsibility for overseeing awarded privatization 
projects rests with the individual services, opportunities exist to 
improve oversight at DOD headquarters by enhancing the value of DOD's 
primary oversight tool--the semiannual privatization program evaluation 
report. The report consists of information submitted by the services on 
each awarded project and includes data on project contract structure, 
construction progress, occupancy, financial performance, and tenant 
satisfaction. However, the value of the report as an oversight tool has 
been limited because the report (1) lacks a focus on key project 
performance metrics to help highlight any operational or financial 
concerns, (2) has not been issued in a timely manner, and (3) does not 
ensure data accuracy by requiring periodic independent verification of 
key report elements. 

* Improving the consistency of data collected on servicemember 
satisfaction with privatized housing offers another opportunity to 
improve program oversight. Because the overall goal of the 
privatization program is to improve servicemember quality of life by 
improving the condition of military housing, DOD requires the services 
to report data on servicemember satisfaction with privatized housing as 
an indicator of program success. However, because DOD has not issued 
guidance for accomplishing this task, the services have used 
inconsistent methods for collecting housing satisfaction data. As a 
result, value of the data could be improved for assessments of 
satisfaction levels over time, comparisons of satisfaction levels among 
projects, and identification of trends among the services. Further, 
because housing satisfaction information is not routinely collected on 
servicemembers who do not live in privatized housing, DOD lacks 
complete information on the impact of its overall housing program on 
servicemember quality of life. 

Sixteen, or 36 percent, of 44 awarded privatization projects had 
occupancy rates below expectations with rates below 90 percent, as of 
September 30, 2005.[Footnote 3] Specifically, occupancy was below 
expectations and below 90 percent in 6 of the Army's 19 awarded 
projects, 4 of the Navy's and Marine Corps' 13 awarded projects, and 6 
of the Air Force's 12 awarded projects. Although the projects were 
originally justified on the basis of meeting the needs of military 
families, some projects had begun renting housing units to parties 
other than military families in an attempt to increase occupancy and 
keep rental revenues up. For example, 20 projects had rented 1,116 
units to servicemembers who were single or unaccompanied by their 
families; 662 units to retired military personnel, and civilians and 
contractors who work for DOD; and 299 units to civilians from the 
general public. At one Air Force project, only 29 percent of the 
available privatized housing units was rented to military families. 
Still, rental revenues in some projects are not meeting planned levels, 
resulting in signs of financial stress. If lower than expected 
occupancy and rental revenues persist in the long term, the result 
could be significantly reduced funds available to provide for future 
project needs and renovations or, in the worst case, project financial 
failures.[Footnote 4] Factors contributing to the occupancy challenges 
in some projects include increased housing allowances, which have made 
it possible for more military families to live off base, thus reducing 
the need for privatized housing, and the questionable reliability of 
DOD's housing requirements determination process, which could result in 
overstating the need for privatized housing. To help ensure that the 
size of housing projects is accurately determined, we previously 
reported that DOD needed to study how increased housing allowances 
might affect future housing needs.[Footnote 5] Also, we previously 
reported that changes were needed to improve the reliability of DOD's 
housing requirements process and to ensure maximum reliance on local 
community housing, as required by DOD policy.[Footnote 6] Because DOD 
has yet to implement these steps, the planned size of future 
privatization projects may not be based on reliable assessments, which 
could result in overstated requirements and thus contribute to 
occupancy and financial challenges in some future projects. 

We are making five recommendations to improve the oversight of awarded 
housing privatization projects and to help ensure that the size of 
future projects is reliably determined. Specifically, we are 
recommending that DOD require the Navy to upgrade its oversight of 
awarded projects, improve the department's semiannual evaluation 
report, provide guidance to help ensure consistent collection and 
reporting of housing satisfaction information for all servicemembers, 
determine how increased housing allowances will most likely impact 
future housing requirements, and expedite issuance of guidance to 
improve the reliability of housing requirements assessments. In written 
comments on a draft of this report, DOD fully agreed with three and 
partially agreed with two of our recommendations and stated that 
shortcomings identified in our draft would be addressed. We discuss 
DOD's comments in detail later in this report. 

Background: 

In the mid-1990s, DOD became concerned that inadequate housing 
allowances and poor quality military housing were negatively affecting 
quality of life and readiness by contributing to servicemember 
decisions to leave military service. DOD noted that when living in 
private-sector housing in the local communities, servicemembers were 
paying about 19 percent of housing costs out of pocket, because housing 
allowances were inadequate. DOD also noted that the quality of military-
owned housing had been in decline for more than 30 years because 
military-owned housing was not considered a priority and because 
earlier attempts at solutions ran into regulatory or legislative 
roadblocks. DOD officials stated that much of the military- owned 
family housing in the United States was old, lacked modern amenities, 
and required renovation or replacement. DOD estimated that completing 
this work with historical funding levels and traditional military 
construction methods would take more than 20 years and cost about $16 
billion. 

In response, and with the approval of Congress, DOD began two major 
initiatives. First, DOD began an initiative to increase housing 
allowances to cover the average cost of housing and utilities in each 
of the nation's various geographic areas, thus eliminating the average 
out-of-pocket housing costs paid by servicemembers. This initiative was 
completed at the beginning of calendar year 2005. Second, DOD began an 
initiative to privatize most military-owned housing to use private 
capital and construction expertise to replace or renovate inadequate 
housing faster than could be achieved using traditional funding methods 
at historical funding levels. At DOD's request, Congress enacted 
legislation in 1996 authorizing the Military Housing Privatization 
Initiative to allow private-sector financing, ownership, operation, and 
maintenance of military housing. 

DOD policy states that private-sector housing in the communities near 
military installations will be relied upon as the primary source of 
family housing. However, when communities do not have an adequate 
amount of suitable housing, DOD intends to use housing privatization-- 
rather than military-owned housing financed with military construction 
funds--as the primary means for meeting family housing requirements. As 
of December 2005, the services had awarded 52 projects to privatize 
over 112,000 family housing units and had plans to award 57 more 
projects to privatize over 76,000 more units by 2010. Table 1 shows 
implementation status by service. Also, appendix II contains more 
detailed status information on the 12 projects at the installations we 
visited during this review. 

Table 1: Privatization Projects Awarded and Planned as of December 
2005: 

Service: Army; 
Number of projects: Awarded: 19; 
Number of projects: Planned: 16; 
Number of projects: Total: 35; 
Number of housing units: Awarded: 59,571; 
Number of housing units: Planned: 23,813; 
Number of housing units: Total: 83,384. 

Service: Navy and Marines; 
Number of projects: Awarded: 17; 
Number of projects: Planned: 7; 
Number of projects: Total: 24; 
Number of housing units: Awarded: 38,106; 
Number of housing units: Planned: 20,500; 
Number of housing units: Total: 58,606. 

Service: Air Force; 
Number of projects: Awarded: 16; 
Number of projects: Planned: 34; 
Number of projects: Total: 50; 
Number of housing units: Awarded: 14,615; 
Number of housing units: Planned: 32,133; 
Number of housing units: Total: 46,748. 

Service: Total; 
Number of projects: Awarded: 52; 
Number of projects: Planned: 57; 
Number of projects: Total: 109; 
Number of housing units: Awarded: 112,292; 
Number of housing units: Planned: 76,446; 
Number of housing units: Total: 188,738. 

Source: DOD. 

[End of table] 

The duration of the initial development period--that is, the period 
when developers construct new housing units and renovate older units-- 
varies among privatization projects, often lasting from 5 to 10 years. 
Thus, planned housing improvements resulting from privatization 
normally are not completed for several years after the projects are 
awarded. For all awarded projects as of September 2005, privatization 
developers had completed the construction of 10,911 new housing units 
and the renovation of 9,161 older housing units. Figures 1 through 5 
show photographs of newly constructed and older privatized housing 
units at selected installations we visited. 

Figure 1: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Fort Meade, Maryland: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure]

Figure 2: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Fort Stewart, Georgia: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

Figure 3: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

Figure 4: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

Figure 5: Newly Constructed (left) and Older (right) Privatized Housing 
at the South Texas Project (Naval Air Station Corpus Christi), Texas: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

Servicemembers can choose whether or not to live in privatized housing-
-there are no mandatory assignments. Those who choose to live in 
privatized housing receive the same housing allowance (which is used to 
pay rent and utilities) as they would if they rented or purchased 
housing in the local communities. 

Within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Housing and 
Competitive Sourcing Office, which reports to the Deputy Under 
Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment), provides 
oversight of the housing privatization program, but the primary 
responsibility for implementing it rests with the individual services. 
OSD designed and uses the program evaluation plan report to oversee the 
effectiveness of the program and the performance of awarded projects. 
The report, prepared semiannually for the periods ending June 30 and 
December 31, is a compilation of extensive data submitted by the 
services for each awarded project and includes information on project 
contract structure, construction and renovation progress, occupancy, 
financial performance, and servicemember satisfaction with the housing. 

This report is a continuation of a series of reports that we have 
issued on matters related to DOD's housing privatization program as 
well as DOD's process for determining housing requirements. The 
following summarizes key issues from these reports: 

* In July 1998, we reported on several concerns as the housing 
privatization program began, including (1) whether privatization would 
produce insignificant cost savings and whether the long contract terms 
of many projects might cause the building of housing that will not be 
needed in the future; (2) whether controls were adequate to protect the 
government's interests if developers failed to operate and maintain the 
housing as expected; and (3) whether DOD would face certain problems if 
privatized housing units were not fully used by military members and 
were subsequently rented to civilians, as the contracts 
permit.[Footnote 7] 

* In March 2000, we reported that initial implementation progress for 
the privatization program was slow, the services' life-cycle cost 
analyses provided inaccurate cost comparisons, and DOD lacked a plan 
for evaluating the effectiveness of the program.[Footnote 8] 

* In June 2002, we reported that DOD needed to (1) revise its housing 
requirements determination process to take into account greater use of 
community housing as well as the projected impact that the housing 
allowance initiative might have on military installation housing 
requirements; and (2) improve the value of the primary privatization 
oversight report by completing the report on time, including 
information on funds accumulated in project reinvestment accounts, and 
obtaining periodic independent verification of key report 
elements.[Footnote 9] 

* In May 2004, we reported that DOD needed to improve its revised 
housing requirements determination process to help ensure that housing 
investments, whether through military construction or privatization, 
were supported by consistent and reliable needs assessments. We also 
reported that DOD needed to survey servicemembers with dependents to 
update information on the housing preferences for family housing, given 
recent changes such as the increase in housing allowances.[Footnote 10] 

In response to each report, DOD officials have stated that they planned 
management actions to address our concerns. 

Opportunities Exist to Improve the Oversight of Awarded Privatization 
Projects: 

Although OSD and the services have implemented program oversight 
policies and procedures to monitor the execution and performance of 
privatized housing projects, opportunities exist for improvement. 
Though owned and managed by the private sector, DOD maintains a strong 
interest in the operational and financial performance of privatized 
housing projects because it is accountable for public funds expended 
and because, according to DOD officials, the military's housing 
objectives can be met only if the projects remain viable. Thus, 
adequate program oversight is essential to help monitor and safeguard 
the government's interests and to help ensure the long-term success of 
the program. However, we identified three areas of concern--the 
adequacy of the Navy's oversight methods, the usefulness of DOD's 
primary oversight report, and the consistency of tenant satisfaction 
data--which provide opportunities for enhancing the oversight of 
awarded privatization projects. Specifically, as evidenced by issues 
identified in some Navy and Marine Corps projects we visited, the 
Navy's oversight methods are not adequate to identify some project 
operational concerns or to ensure accurate reporting of project 
information. As a result, in contrast to the Army and the Air Force 
which have more robust oversight methods, there is less assurance that 
Navy management could become aware of project performance issues in a 
timely manner in order to plan needed actions to mitigate the concerns. 
Also, the usefulness of OSD's primary program oversight tool--the 
semiannual privatization program evaluation report--has been limited 
because the report has not focused on key project performance metrics, 
has not been issued in a timely manner, and has included inaccuracies. 
Moreover, data on servicemember satisfaction with housing are 
inconsistent because DOD has not issued guidance to the services for 
collecting and reporting satisfaction information. As a result, data 
gathered to date cannot be readily tracked over time or compared among 
the services, and their value could be improved as a tool to more fully 
assess the impact of the privatization program, as well as the impact 
of DOD's overall housing program, on servicemember quality of life. 

Navy Program Oversight Did Not Identify and Address Some Project 
Concerns and Reporting Inaccuracies: 

The Navy's oversight program for monitoring Navy and Marine Corps 
projects has not adequately identified and addressed some project 
operational concerns, nor does it ensure accuracy in project 
information reported to DOD headquarters. Adequate program oversight is 
essential to help monitor and safeguard the government's interests and 
to help ensure the long-term success of the program. However, in 
contrast to the Army's and Air Force's oversight programs, the Navy's 
oversight program was less comprehensive and thus provided less 
assurance that Navy management would become aware of project 
performance issues in a timely manner. To illustrate, we found that the 
Army and the Air Force have robust, well-developed portfolio oversight 
programs to help top management monitor implementation of their 
privatization programs. Both of these services collected and analyzed 
detailed performance information on each project including construction 
progress, construction costs, occupancy levels, rental revenues, 
operating expenses, net operating income, and the debt coverage 
ratio.[Footnote 11] These services prepared detailed project reports, 
which compared actual project performance data with expectations and 
discussed reasons for significant variances. The Army and the Air Force 
also prepared quarterly portfolio summary reports, which monitored 
project execution, analyzed trends, highlighted current and potential 
performance issues, and documented recent and planned actions to 
address any project concerns. 

In contrast, the Navy's oversight program was less structured, included 
fewer details on project performance, and did not include summary 
oversight reports on portfolio performance, even though such reports 
were required by Navy guidance. Specifically, in February 2004, the 
Navy established a portfolio management group and assigned the group 
responsibility to oversee the Navy's and Marine Corps' housing 
privatization program. Although the group's charter stated that it 
would review project performance information and prepare consolidated 
portfolio summary reports, Navy officials stated that no such reports 
had been prepared at the time of our review in January 2006, almost 2 
years after the charter was approved. Navy officials initially told us 
that the required summary reports were not needed because portfolio 
monitoring was performed in other ways, such as a review of monthly 
status reports from each project. They further stated that the Navy 
intended to eliminate the reporting requirement. Subsequently, Navy 
officials told us that the summary performance reports were needed and 
would be prepared in the future. 

During our visits to Navy and Marine Corps privatization projects, we 
found instances where Navy oversight had not been adequate to identify 
and address some project operational issues and ensure accurate 
reporting of project performance information to OSD. For example: 

* During our September 2005 visit to the Navy's Kingsville II project 
at the Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, we found that project funds 
had not been disbursed in accordance with the project agreement. 
According to the agreement, 30 percent of the project's net cash flow-
-that is, the rental revenue remaining after payment of expenses and 
debt service--was to be deposited to a Navy-owned reserve account to be 
available for future project needs. On the basis of the project's net 
cash flow during the first and second quarters of 2005, over $42,000 
should have been deposited to the Navy's account. Yet, only $314 was 
deposited. When we asked about this, Navy officials initially told us 
that the deposit amount was correct and consistent with original 
expectations. When we again questioned the deposit amount, Navy 
officials stated that the funds had not been appropriately disbursed 
and that they had asked the project developer for a complete analysis 
of the reserve accounts from project inception. The officials 
subsequently stated that a deposit was made to correct the balance in 
the Navy reserve account. Navy officials also stated that, in light of 
the shortcomings identified, the project agreement would be amended to 
require deposit and disbursement reports for all reserve accounts and 
to ensure that the project's annual audit included a compliance review. 

* During our visit to the Navy's South Texas project in September 2005, 
we found that the project had not reimbursed the Navy for police and 
fire protection services, as specified in a memorandum signed by the 
Navy in January 2002. The memorandum stated that the project would pay 
the Navy for police and fire protection services provided by the Naval 
Air Station Corpus Christi beginning in calendar year 2002. The initial 
annual payment was to be $84,756 with cost-of-living adjustments in 
future years. However, when we asked about the payments in September 
2005, we were told that no payments had been made because the Navy had 
not processed the proper paperwork to bill the project for 
reimbursement. When we again asked about the reimbursement status in 
December 2005, Navy officials stated that they were working to resolve 
the issue. As of January 2006, 4 years after the project memorandum was 
initially signed, the Navy still had not billed the project for 
reimbursement. 

* We found that inaccurate project status information was reported to 
OSD for five of the eight Navy and Marine Corps projects we reviewed in 
detail. For example, data reported to OSD on the San Diego II project 
showed that the project's total development cost was $304 million, 
although the correct amount was $427 million. Also, data reported to 
OSD for the Camp Pendleton I showed that the project's reinvestment 
account balance was $725,000 although the correct balance was $104,000. 
Further, data reported to OSD for the Marine Corps' Tri-Command project 
showed that no net operating funds or interest would be used to help 
finance the project during the initial development period even though 
project closing documents in March 2003 showed that $53.6 million from 
net operating funds and interest were expected to be used to help 
finance the project.[Footnote 12] Navy officials stated that 
corrections would be made in the information reported to OSD. 

During our review, Navy officials stated that they had begun a top-to- 
bottom evaluation of the privatization oversight program. They stated 
that our review had been helpful in identifying items that required 
attention, such as those we mentioned. The officials stated that while 
they believed that their current procedures protected the government's 
interests and alerted top management to project concerns, they were 
conducting a comprehensive review to ensure consistency and 
completeness, upgrade the monitoring and oversight process, and make 
oversight responsibilities better defined and, perhaps, more 
aggressive. As part of the review, the officials stated that they 
intended to consider the Army's and the Air Force's oversight 
procedures and reports and also intended to ensure that appropriate 
portfolio performance summary reporting was completed in a timely 
fashion. The officials said that they planned to complete the review 
and implement oversight improvements by late spring 2006. 

OSD's Primary Program Oversight Report Is of Limited Usefulness: 

OSD's semiannual privatization program evaluation report is of limited 
usefulness because it is unwieldy, untimely, and includes inaccurate 
information on some Navy and Marine Corps projects. Established in 
January 2001, the report is OSD's primary tool for overseeing the 
program's effectiveness and the performance of awarded projects. 
Although the report is a potentially useful tool for monitoring program 
implementation, the value of the report has been limited for several 
reasons. 

First, as the number of awarded projects has increased from 7, when the 
report was established, to 52 at the end of December 2005, the report 
is not well focused, and has become unwieldy with the growing volume of 
data provided. The December 2004 report contained 268 pages and, unless 
changed, the report size will continue to increase as additional 
projects are awarded. A streamlined report that focuses on a few key 
performance metrics from each project could more readily highlight any 
operational or financial concerns that might require management 
attention. Both the Army and the Air Force portfolio summary reports 
include such focused information and thus might provide useful insight 
in restructuring the OSD report. 

Second, the report's usefulness has been limited because the report is 
not timely. Although the report is not intended to provide for real- 
time monitoring of awarded projects--the individual services have this 
responsibility--information included in the report is so dated by the 
time the report is issued that its value, as a tool to highlight any 
operational or financial concerns to top management in a timely manner, 
is questionable. For example, the report containing project information 
as of December 31, 2004, was due March 15, 2005, but it was not issued 
until June 2005, 3 months late, and contained data that were about 6 
months old. Similarly, the report containing project information as of 
June 30, 2005, was due by September 15, 2005, but was not issued until 
February 2006, almost 5 months late, making the information in it more 
than 7 months old. 

Third, the reports include inaccuracies because data reported by the 
services are sometimes incorrect. OSD officials stated that, although 
they review data submitted by the services for consistency and accuracy 
compared to other information provided to OSD, reported information has 
not been subjected to periodic independent verification to check 
accuracy. 

We previously noted similar concerns about the privatization program 
evaluation report. In our June 2002 report, we recommended that DOD 
improve the report's value by completing the report on time, including 
information on funds accumulated in project reinvestment accounts, and 
obtaining periodic independent verification of key report 
elements.[Footnote 13] Although the report now includes information on 
funds accumulated in project reinvestment accounts, concerns remain 
about the report's timeliness and accuracy. These concerns may be of 
additional importance given that the House Appropriations Committee 
requested in 2005 that DOD begin submitting a summary of the results of 
the program evaluation plan used to monitor the military housing 
privatization initiative to the committee[Footnote 14] and that 
information from the report has been cited in DOD testimony on the 
housing privatization program.[Footnote 15] 

Methods for Measuring Servicemember Satisfaction with Privatized 
Housing Are Not Consistent: 

The services have adopted different methods and time frames for 
collecting and analyzing information about servicemember satisfaction 
with privatized housing, largely because OSD has not issued guidance on 
how or when the data must be collected. This limits the data's value 
for tracking occupant satisfaction over time as well as making service- 
to-service comparisons. Given that the overall goal of the housing 
privatization program is to improve the quality of life for 
servicemembers by improving the condition of military housing, DOD 
considers that one measure of program success is whether or not 
servicemembers are satisfied with privatized housing. To gauge 
servicemember satisfaction, OSD requires the services to collect and 
report satisfaction information from occupants at each awarded project 
as part of the input to the privatization program evaluation report. 
Specifically, OSD requires the services to survey occupants and to 
report the occupants' responses to the question "Would you recommend 
privatized housing?" Data are reported separately for occupants of 
privatized housing that is newly constructed, newly renovated, and not 
renovated. Similar satisfaction information is not routinely collected 
from the majority of servicemembers who live in the communities 
surrounding military installations. 

The information required by OSD could be useful in assessing 
satisfaction levels over time and for comparing satisfaction levels 
among projects and the services to identify trends and factors 
attributing to higher or lower satisfaction levels. However, using 
satisfaction data for these purposes requires that the services collect 
consistent information, and this is not the case. Largely because OSD 
has not provided guidance on how or when the services should collect 
servicemember satisfaction data, the services have adopted different 
methods and time frames for collecting and analyzing satisfaction 
information. 

* The Army uses a contractor to survey privatized housing occupants 
annually between April and July. The 2005 survey asked 72 questions on 
various aspects of maintenance and property management services, unit 
condition, and amenities. Responses to most questions were requested 
using a 5-point scale--for example, where "1" represents very 
dissatisfied or no agreement and "5" represents very satisfied or 
extreme agreement. Prior to 2005, the Army's survey requested most 
responses on a 7-point scale. Army officials stated that the change was 
made to be more compatible with surveys performed by the other 
services. However, the requested response to the "Would you recommend 
privatized housing?" question was "yes" or "no", rather than a 
requested response on a 5-point scale. Therefore, because the Navy and 
the Air Force request that servicemembers respond to this question 
using a 5-point scale, the Army did not achieve compatibility with the 
other services in the responses to this key question. 

* The Navy uses a different contractor to survey privatized housing 
occupants at various times during the year. The survey asks 48 
questions with responses requested on a 5-point scale, including the 
question on whether the occupant would recommend privatized housing. 
Navy officials stated that the Navy strives to survey each project once 
a year. However, surveys were not conducted at some Navy and Marine 
Corps privatized housing projects in 2004 or 2005, and for six 
projects, the Navy reported no satisfaction information to OSD for 
inclusion in the December 2004 privatization program evaluation report. 

* Air Force officials stated that until 2005 each privatized project 
conducted a local survey of occupants. However, due to disparities in 
the ways the survey was administered from one installation to another 
and because of the difficulty in achieving statistically significant 
response rates (for example, only nine responses were obtained from 382 
tenants at the Patrick Air Force Base project in 2004), the Air Force 
decided to adopt a centralized approach. In June 2005, the Air Force 
used the same contractor as the Navy and surveyed occupants at all Air 
Force privatized projects. The survey asked 54 questions--mostly the 
same questions that the Navy asked--with responses requested on a 5- 
point scale, including the question on whether the occupant would 
recommend privatized housing. 

With different survey methods, questions, and time frames, the 
information being collected cannot be readily used for the purposes of 
benchmarking, tracking, or comparing servicemember satisfaction levels. 
Thus, the value of the information to help measure whether or not the 
privatization program is succeeding in its goal of improving 
servicemember quality of life could be improved. Further, because 
housing satisfaction information is not routinely collected on 
servicemembers who do not live in privatized housing, DOD lacks 
complete information on the impact of its overall housing program on 
servicemember quality of life. 

Lower Than Expected Occupancy Creates Concerns in Some Privatization 
Projects: 

Sixteen projects, or 36 percent, of 44 awarded privatization projects 
had occupancy rates below expectations with rates below 90 percent, as 
of September 30, 2005, raising concerns about project performance. 
Although the projects were justified on the basis of meeting military 
family housing needs, 20 projects have begun renting housing units to 
parties other than military families, including unaccompanied military 
personnel and the general public, in an attempt to keep rental revenues 
up. Still, rental revenues in some of the projects we visited have not 
met expectations, resulting in signs of financial stress such as having 
months where project revenues were insufficient to pay all project 
expenses. In the long term, if lower than expected occupancy and rental 
revenues persist, the result could be significantly reduced funds 
deposited into reserve accounts, which provide for future project needs 
and renovations. Or, in the worst case, there could be project 
financial failures. Factors contributing to occupancy challenges 
include poor condition of existing housing that has not yet been 
renovated in some projects, significantly increased housing allowances, 
which have made it possible for more military families to afford off- 
base housing thus reducing the need for privatized housing, and 
continued problems in DOD's housing requirements determination process, 
which could result in overstating the need for privatized housing. 
Although deployments can also contribute to occupancy challenges, they 
were cited as a contributing factor to lower than expected occupancy 
rates in only 1 of the 12 projects we reviewed. The services are 
monitoring occupancy and revenue concerns, and in some cases, have 
taken or planned steps to address the concerns. However, without 
additional steps to help ensure that the size of future privatization 
projects is reliably determined, future projects could face similar 
occupancy and financial challenges. 

Occupancy Was Below Expectations in Some Projects: 

We found that some awarded projects, as shown in table 2, were not 
meeting occupancy expectations. According to service officials, the 
expected occupancy rate during a project's initial development period, 
when many housing units are being constructed or undergoing renovation, 
is usually around 90 percent of the units available for rent. After 
completion of the initial development period, most projects expect 
occupancy rates of about 95 percent. As of September 30, 2005, 
occupancy was below expectations and below 90 percent in 6 of the 
Army's 19 awarded projects, 4 of the Navy's and Marine Corps' 13 
awarded projects, and 6 of the Air Force's 12 awarded projects. 
Although most of these projects were in their initial development 
periods, 1 Navy and 2 Air Force projects were not. In total, of 85,590 
privatized housing units available for rent, 77,355 units or 90 percent 
were occupied and 8,235 units or 10 percent were vacant. 

Table 2: Awarded Privatization Projects with Occupancy Rates Below 
Expectations as of September 30, 2005[A]: 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Meade; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 80; 
Housing units: Available: 2,778; 
Housing units: Occupied: 2,230; 
Housing units: Vacant: 548. 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Stewart; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 79; 
Housing units: Available: 3,089; 
Housing units: Occupied: 2,433; 
Housing units: Vacant: 656. 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Hamilton; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 70; 
Housing units: Available: 286; 
Housing units: Occupied: 199; 
Housing units: Vacant: 87. 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Shafter/Schofield; 
Barracks; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 78; 
Housing units: Available: 7,074; 
Housing units: Occupied: 5,520; 
Housing units: Vacant: 1,554. 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Leonard Wood; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 83; 
Housing units: Available: 2,229; 
Housing units: Occupied: 1,853; 
Housing units: Vacant: 376. 

Service/Project: Army: Fort Bliss; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 94; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 83; 
Housing units: Available: 3,001; 
Housing units: Occupied: 2,491; 
Housing units: Vacant: 510. 

Service/Project: Navy/Marine Corps: South Texas; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 80; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 78; 
Housing units: Available: 398; 
Housing units: Occupied: 311; 
Housing units: Vacant: 87. 

Service/Project: Navy/Marine Corps: Kingsville II[B]; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 97; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 89; 
Housing units: Available: 150; 
Housing units: Occupied: 133; 
Housing units: Vacant: 17. 

Service/Project: Navy/Marine Corps: Tri-Command; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 93; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 83; 
Housing units: Available: 1,680; 
Housing units: Occupied: 1,393; 
Housing units: Vacant: 287. 

Service/Project: Navy/Marine Corps: Pendleton II/Quantico; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 93; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 89; 
Housing units: Available: 3,656; 
Housing units: Occupied: 3,261; 
Housing units: Vacant: 395. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Dyess Air Force Base[B]; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 97; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 86; 
Housing units: Available: 402; 
Housing units: Occupied: 344; 
Housing units: Vacant: 58. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Hanscom Air Force Base; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 88; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 84; 
Housing units: Available: 722; 
Housing units: Occupied: 607; 
Housing units: Vacant: 115. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Kirtland Air Force Base; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 90; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 85; 
Housing units: Available: 1,078; 
Housing units: Occupied: 919; 
Housing units: Vacant: 159. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Little Rock Air Force Base; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 90; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 86; 
Housing units: Available: 1,320; 
Housing units: Occupied: 1,141; 
Housing units: Vacant: 179. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Patrick Air Force Base; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 90; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 73; 
Housing units: Available: 592; 
Housing units: Occupied: 433; 
Housing units: Vacant: 159. 

Service/Project: Air Force: Robins Air Force Base[B]; 
Expected occupancy rate (percent): 97; 
Actual occupancy rate (percent): 83; 
Housing units: Available: 670; 
Housing units: Occupied: 559; 
Housing units: Vacant: 111. 

Source: DOD. 

[A] Our analysis excluded seven projects awarded as of September 30, 
2005, because six projects had been privatized for less than 2 months 
and one had no units yet available for rent. Also, the table includes 
only projects with occupancy rates below 90 percent. Six additional 
projects were not meeting occupancy expectations but had occupancy 
rates of 90 percent or more. 

[B] The initial development period was completed at these projects.

[End of table] 

Occupancy rates would have been lower if 20 projects had not rented 
units to nontarget tenants--that is, tenants other than military 
families. Although the projects were justified on the basis of meeting 
the needs of military families, project managers are allowed to offer 
units for rent to nontarget tenants, when occupancy rates fall below 
expected levels for a designated period of time, such as 2 or 3 months. 
Normally, project managers follow a priority list, referred to as a 
tenant waterfall, when renting units to nontarget tenants. In a typical 
tenant waterfall, vacant family housing units are first offered to 
single or unaccompanied active duty military servicemembers; then to 
DOD-related individuals, such as retired military personnel and 
civilians and contractors who work for DOD; and finally to civilians in 
the general public. As of September 30, 2005, of 44 awarded projects, 
20 projects, or 45 percent, had rented units to individuals other than 
military families. More specifically, 20 projects had rented 1,116 
units to single or unaccompanied military personnel; 662 units to 
retired military personnel and civilians and contractors who work for 
DOD; and 299 units to civilians from the general public. In all, 2,077 
family housing units were occupied by parties other than military 
families. 

Although renting vacant units to nontarget tenants increases rental 
revenue, the practice includes some associated concerns. For example, 
although background checks are performed on prospective general public 
civilian tenants, several service officials stated that additional 
concerns exist when civilians live on military installations, such as 
whether they should have access to on-base amenities available to 
military families. Also, when units are rented to unaccompanied 
servicemembers, the rental revenue is usually less than with military 
family occupants because the rental rate is normally based on housing 
allowance rates, and the allowance rates for unaccompanied 
servicemembers are less than the rates for servicemembers with 
families. Therefore, although occupancy rates increase, the increase in 
rental revenues usually falls short of the revenue expectations for the 
units. 

Lower Than Expected Occupancy Causes Financial Stress and Could Reduce 
Funds for Future Reinvestment: 

When project occupancy levels are less than expected, project rental 
revenues are less than expected, which can cause financial stress, such 
as having periods when revenues are insufficient to pay all expenses. 
If revenue shortfalls persist in the long term, the result can be 
reduced or no funds remaining after payment of operational expenses, 
debt service, and developer returns to be deposited into the reserve 
accounts established to pay for future project needs and renovations. 
In a worst--case scenario, there could be insufficient funds to make a 
project's loan payments, which could lead to a financial 
default.[Footnote 16] 

Although the housing privatization program is relatively young and the 
majority of the projects awarded through September 2005 appeared 
financially healthy, lower than expected occupancy rates and rental 
revenues in some projects were causing financial stress in some of the 
projects we visited. The examples below illustrate the occupancy and 
financial challenges facing some projects, the reasons for the 
challenges, and steps taken or planned in response. While many 
vacancies involved older housing units not yet renovated, we also found 
vacancies involving newly constructed and renovated units. 

* At Fort Meade in July 2005, 2,044 units, or 81 percent, of the 
available units were occupied, compared to an expected occupancy of 
2,332 units, or 92 percent. Army officials stated that the project's 
491 vacant units were older units that had not been renovated. 
Occupancy would have been lower if the project had not rented units to 
nontarget parties. Of the occupied units, 205 units, or 10 percent, 
were occupied by nontarget tenants, including unaccompanied military 
servicemembers, military retirees, and DOD civilian employees. The 
shortfall of 288 expected occupants had caused financial stress for the 
project. For example, the project's net operating income was 33 percent 
below expectations for the quarter ending June 30, 2005. Army officials 
stated that lower than expected revenues had slowed the project's 
construction progress because funds remaining after payment of project 
expenses were to be used to help pay for construction costs during the 
initial development period. The officials stated that lower than 
expected occupancy was caused by three main factors. First, the poor 
condition of much of the privatized housing that had not yet been 
improved made it unattractive to military families. Second, increased 
housing allowances made more local community housing affordable and 
caused many military families to decide to rent or buy housing off 
base. Third, recent private-sector housing development in the local 
communities surrounding Fort Meade increased the availability of local 
housing. In response to the occupancy and financial concerns, Army 
officials stated that plans were underway to restructure the project 
and reduce the project's planned number of units. Army officials were 
optimistic that occupancy would increase as more units were renovated 
and additional new units were constructed, making the project more 
appealing to military families. 

* At the Navy's South Texas project, Navy officials stated that lower 
than expected occupancy had been a concern since the project's 
beginning in February 2002. At the time of our visit in September 2005, 
the occupancy rate was 78 percent, with 311 units occupied and 87 units 
vacant. Navy officials stated that a key reason for low occupancy was 
that the project was still in its initial development period, and 
progress in improving housing conditions had proceeded much more slowly 
than planned. As a result, much of the privatized housing was in poor 
condition and unattractive to military families. However, of the 87 
vacant units, Navy officials stated that only 11 were awaiting 
renovation or replacement, and the remaining 76 units consisted of 
newly constructed or renovated housing units. Other causes for low 
occupancy included reduced housing requirements caused by reductions in 
military personnel assigned to the area and increased housing 
allowances, which made more local community housing affordable for 
servicemembers. With reduced occupancy, the project had experienced 
signs of financial stress. For example, in July 2005, the project's 
rental income was 26 percent below budget and was insufficient to pay 
the project's operating expenses. Also, the project's debt coverage 
ratio was a negative number, meaning that net operating income was 
insufficient to cover the project's debt payment. Navy officials stated 
that the project faced little risk of financial failure during its 
initial development period because accounts were established at the 
project's inception to provide for debt service payments during this 
period. Nevertheless, Navy officials expressed concern about the 
project and had taken actions to address the situation. In August 2004, 
an agreement was reached to reduce the project's scope by 80 units, and 
Navy officials stated that further project scope reductions might be 
considered in the future. 

* At Robins Air Force Base, 559 units, or 83 percent, of 670 available 
units were occupied in September 2005 compared to the expected 
occupancy rate of 97 percent. This project had completed its initial 
development period and consequently all available units are newly 
constructed or renovated. Of the occupied units, 109 units were 
occupied by nontarget tenants, including 42 civilians. Air Force 
officials stated two reasons for the low occupancy. First, increased 
housing allowances and attractive mortgage interest rates had caused 
some servicemembers to decide to purchase homes in the local community. 
Second, the project's design, which included many two-bedroom units, 
was less appealing to some military families. As a result of the low 
occupancy rates, Air Force officials stated that the project faced 
significant financial challenges. The Robins project was one of three 
Air Force projects rated as unsatisfactory in the Air Force's September 
2005 portfolio summary report because of financial weakness and 
concerns about meeting developmental and/or financial obligations. Air 
Force officials stated that alternatives were being explored, which may 
require renegotiation of the project agreement with the developer to 
improve the project's long-term financial viability. 

* At Patrick Air Force Base, military families occupied 172, or only 29 
percent, of the 592 available units. Nontarget tenants, including 135 
unaccompanied servicemembers and 126 civilians, occupied 261 additional 
units to make the overall occupancy rate 73 percent compared to an 
expected occupancy rate of 90 percent. Air Force officials attributed 
the low occupancy to the poor condition of the project's units, where 
planned improvements were far behind schedule. The project, which will 
consist of all new units when completed, had no new units ready for 
occupancy at the time of our visit in early December 2005. The 
officials also said that increased housing allowances had caused many 
military families to decide to obtain housing in the local community. 
Although the project's nontarget tenants had significantly reduced the 
financial challenges that would have occurred if only military families 
occupied the housing, the project still faced financial stress. For the 
quarter ending September 30, 2005, the project's net operating income 
was 28 percent below expectations. Largely because of financial issues, 
the project was restructured in April 2005 to increase debt and provide 
additional funds needed to complete the initial development period. As 
part of the restructuring, some funds that had initially been required 
to flow into the project's reserve account for future project needs and 
renovation were allowed to be used for construction funding. Air Force 
officials stated their belief that, as housing improvements are 
completed, both occupancy rates and the number of military family 
tenants will increase and the project's financial performance will 
improve. 

* At the time of our visit to the Marine Corps' Tri-Command project in 
early October 2005, the expected occupancy rate was 93 percent. 
However, the actual rate was 83 percent, with 1,393 of 1,680 available 
units occupied and 287 units vacant. Service officials stated that most 
vacant units were older units that had not been renovated. According to 
installation officials, the lower than expected occupancy rate was 
caused by increased housing allowances, which had led some 
servicemembers to decide to rent or buy housing in the local community. 
Also, although the project was awarded in March 2003, the project was 
still undergoing initial development and, with many of the planned 
housing improvements not yet completed, much of the on-base housing was 
in poor condition and unattractive to military families. With lower 
than expected occupancy, the project showed signs of financial stress. 
In September 2005, the project reported that rental revenues were 14 
percent below expectations and the net operating income was 30 percent 
below expectations. Also, the project's debt coverage ratio was .66, 
meaning that the project's operations did not produce sufficient funds 
to cover the debt payment. Marine Corps officials stated that the 
project faced little risk of financial failure during its initial 
development period because accounts were established at the project's 
inception to provide for debt service payments during this period. 
Still, the officials expressed concern about the project's finances. In 
an effort to improve occupancy and financial performance, the project 
revised its revitalization strategy in August 2005 and obtained $44.1 
million in additional private loans to finance upgrades to more housing 
units than originally planned to make the units more appealing to 
potential renters. Marine Corps officials stated that the revised 
strategy should result in improved project performance. 

Increased Housing Allowances and Unreliable Needs Assessments 
Contribute to Occupancy Concerns: 

Increases in monthly housing allowances and unreliable estimates of 
housing requirements contribute to occupancy concerns in some 
privatization projects by reducing the need for privatized housing or 
possibly overstating the required size of some projects. Some causes of 
occupancy concerns, such as changes in personnel assignments and 
deployments, often cannot be predicted and are beyond the control of 
the services. While deployments can contribute to occupancy challenges, 
they were cited as a contributing factor to lower than expected 
occupancy rates in only 1 of the 12 projects we reviewed. Also, as the 
condition of privatized housing at some installations improves with the 
construction of new housing and the renovation of older housing units, 
the projects may attract more military families and the occupancy rates 
may improve. However, other factors, such as the impact of DOD's zero- 
out-of-pocket housing allowance initiative and the reliability of DOD's 
overall housing requirements assessment process, can also affect 
occupancy rates and are important considerations in planning for future 
housing privatization projects. To help ensure that the size of housing 
projects is accurately determined, we previously reported that DOD 
needed to study how increased allowances might affect future housing 
needs and to make improvements in its requirements process to maximize 
reliance on local community housing, as required by DOD policy. Yet, 
because DOD has yet to implement these recommendations, the planned 
size of future privatization projects may not be based on reliable 
needs assessments, which could contribute to occupancy and financial 
challenges in some future projects. 

For example, in June 2002, we noted that uncertainties existed in the 
future need for military-owned and privatized housing because of DOD's 
initiative to increase housing allowances.[Footnote 17] Prior to the 
initiative, servicemembers with families living in community housing 
received, on average, an allowance that covered about 81 percent of 
housing costs, including utilities. Servicemembers paid the remaining 
19 percent of housing costs out of pocket using other sources of 
income. Under the initiative begun in 2001, housing allowances 
increased each year over a 5-year period, progressively eliminating the 
average out-of-pocket costs. By January 2005, the average housing 
allowance fully covered the average costs of housing and utilities in 
each geographic area with the typical servicemember paying no 
additional out-of-pocket costs. Table 3 illustrates the increase in 
housing allowances for selected military paygrades in five locations 
before the initiative in 2000 and after the initiative in 2006. 

Table 3: Examples of Changes in Monthly Housing Allowances for 
Servicemembers with Dependents[A]: 

Location: Fort Meade, Maryland; 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E- 3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: $774; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: $1,259; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 63. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-6; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 1,148; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,605; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 40. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): O-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 1,245; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,785; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 43. 

Location: Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 592; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 979; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 65. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-6; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 715; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,333; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 86. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): O-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 857; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,393; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 63. 

Location: Robins Air Force Base, Georgia; 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 540; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 898; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 66. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-6; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 673; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 967; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 44. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): O-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 807; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,237; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 53. 

Location: Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 506; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,027; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 103. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-6; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 662; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,437; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 117. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): O-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 817; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,531; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 87. 

Location: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina; 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 502; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 961; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 91. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): E-6; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 701; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,271; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 81. 
Paygrade (E=enlisted and O=officer): O-3; 
Monthly allowance in 2000: 853; 
Monthly allowance in 2006: 1,345; 
Increase in allowance (percent): 58. 

Source: DOD. 

[A] Changes in the housing allowance amounts reflect the impact of the 
zero-out-of-pocket initiative as well as changes in cost of housing at 
each location since 2000.

[End of table] 

Our report further noted that increased housing allowances from the 
zero-out-of-pocket initiative would make a significant impact on the 
military housing program. First, increased allowances should decrease 
the requirement for military-owned or privatized houses by making local 
community housing more affordable to servicemembers. Second, over time, 
the supply of community housing available to military families could 
increase and reduce the requirement for military-owned or privatized 
housing as private developers construct new housing near military 
installations to profit from renting to servicemembers at market rates. 
Third, increased allowances should allow DOD to better satisfy the 
preferences of most servicemembers to live off base and reduce demand 
for on-base housing.[Footnote 18] For these reasons, we recommended 
that DOD take into account the projected impact that the housing 
allowance initiative might have on military housing requirements. Yet, 
as of January 2006, DOD had not conducted detailed analyses to consider 
the effects of increased allowances on requirements, nor had the 
department provided guidance to the services on how these effects 
should be considered in their housing requirements assessments. 

We also previously reported on changes needed to increase the 
reliability of DOD's housing requirements determination 
process.[Footnote 19] In May 2004, we noted that, although DOD had 
revised its process and made improvements, additional steps were needed 
to ensure consistency, accuracy, and maximum reliance on private 
housing in the communities surrounding military installations. 
Specifically, we noted that (1) DOD had not provided the services with 
timely detailed guidance for implementing the revised requirements 
process; (2) in the absence of detailed guidance, the services used 
inconsistent methods and sometimes questionable data sources and 
assumptions when determining family housing needs at various 
installations; and (3) as a result, DOD could not know with assurance 
how many housing units it needed and whether its housing investment 
decisions were justified. The report also noted that DOD's revised 
requirements process provided exceptions to the use of available, 
suitable local community housing at each installation. We noted that 
one exception--military mission requirements--appeared clearly 
justified, but the other exceptions did not and could result in the 
services identifying more on-base family housing requirements than were 
actually needed. For example, DOD's process allows installations to 
include in its military-owned or privatized housing requirement a 
quantity of housing to accommodate up to 10 percent of the projected 
number of families at those installations, regardless of the 
availability of local housing. 

To address these matters, we recommended that DOD provide the military 
services with more detailed guidance on implementing the revised 
housing requirements process to help ensure that housing investments, 
whether through military construction or privatization, were supported 
by consistent and reliable needs assessments. We also recommended that 
DOD review the rationale supporting the exceptions to using local 
community housing in an effort to reduce or narrow the scope of the 
exceptions and help maximize use of available community housing. In 
response, DOD stated that it planned to include detailed guidance on 
implementing the requirements process in a forthcoming revision to the 
DOD housing management manual. DOD officials stated that the revised 
manual would also include guidance narrowing the scope of the 
exceptions provided to the services in the use of available community 
housing. Although the revised manual was originally scheduled for 
issuance in December 2004, the manual had not been issued at the time 
of our review in January 2006. DOD officials stated that they were 
still revising the manual and that the final version should be issued 
during 2006. 

Upcoming changes in personnel assignments at some installations 
resulting from Base Realignment and Closure decisions, the return of 
forces from overseas bases, and the implementation of the Army's 
modularity program will increase the importance of reliable housing 
assessments. In particular, some installations stand to gain 
substantial numbers of military families, which could increase 
requirements for privatized housing and increase occupancy in current 
projects. Conversely, implementation of the Army's force stabilization 
initiative may result in reduced requirements for privatized housing 
because more service members may choose to purchase homes if they know 
that they will be assigned to the same installation for a longer period 
of time. However, until improvements are implemented in the housing 
requirements assessment process, the assessments for planned 
privatization projects at some installations may indicate a need for 
more housing units than required, which could lead to future occupancy 
and financial concerns. In its September 2005 portfolio summary report, 
the Air Force highlighted this concern. The report noted that: 

The fact is that the [project] scopes are currently based on static 
housing requirements and market analysis. Markets are not static, as is 
evidenced by the speed at which the private sector has provided housing 
thereby reducing subsequent [housing] requirements…The Air Force should 
carefully consider expectations for future (2 to 5 years) housing needs 
when establishing the scope of new projects….Because of the delays 
between the date of the housing requirements and market analysis and 
the delivery of units, the Air Force may be building too may homes. 
Overbuilding in any project could pose a significant risk. 

Conclusions: 

Adequate privatization program oversight is essential to help monitor 
and safeguard the government's interests and ensure the long-term 
success of the program. Unless the Navy follows through with its plans 
to improve its policies and procedures for overseeing its housing 
privatization program, Navy management will continue to lack assurance 
that it can become aware of project performance issues in a timely 
manner. Also, unless DOD streamlines its privatization program 
evaluation report to focus on key project performance metrics, 
completes the report on time, and obtains periodic independent 
verification of key report elements, the report's value as an oversight 
tool will continue to be limited. Further, until DOD provides guidance 
to the services to help ensure consistent collection and reporting of 
housing satisfaction from all servicemembers, the value of the 
information to help measure this aspect of the privatization program's 
success, as well as the impact of DOD's overall housing program on 
quality of life, will also continue to be less useful than it could be. 

In the long term, if lower than expected occupancy rates and rental 
revenues at some privatization projects persist, the result could be 
significantly reduced funds flowing into reserve accounts that were 
established to provide for future project needs and renovations. In the 
worst-case scenario, the program could see project financial failures, 
which could affect the quality of housing available to military 
families. Such concerns may occur in future privatization projects 
unless DOD fully considers the impact of increased allowances on 
housing requirements and implements improvements to its requirements 
determination process so that the planned size of future projects is 
reliably determined. 

Recommendations for Executive Action: 

We recommend that the Secretary of Defense direct the Deputy Under 
Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) to take the 
following five actions: 

* Require the Navy to upgrade the monitoring and oversight of its 
housing privatization program to ensure consistency, completeness, and 
preparation of appropriate portfolio summary performance reports. 

* Improve the value of DOD's privatization program evaluation report by 
streamlining the report to focus on key project performance metrics, 
completing the report on time, and obtaining periodic independent 
verification of key report elements. 

* Provide guidance to the services to help ensure consistent collection 
and reporting of housing satisfaction information from all 
servicemembers, which would allow for benchmarking and tracking of 
tenant satisfaction over time as well as for making service-to-service 
comparisons. 

* Determine how increased housing allowances from the zero-out-of- 
pocket initiative will most likely impact future family housing 
requirements and provide guidance on how the impacts should be factored 
into the services' housing requirements assessments. 

* Expedite issuance of the revised DOD housing management manual and 
ensure that the revision includes guidance to improve the reliability 
of housing requirements assessments and reduce the scope of the 
exceptions provided to the use of available community housing. 

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: 

In written comments on a draft of this report, the Director for Housing 
and Competitive Sourcing within the Office of the Under Secretary of 
Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics fully agreed with 
three and partially agreed with two of our recommendations and stated 
that shortcomings identified in the report would be forthrightly 
addressed. Noting that our report was an important contribution to 
DOD's oversight of the housing privatization program to date, DOD 
stated that steps were already underway to streamline the privatization 
program evaluation report and improve the report's accuracy. Also, DOD 
intends to closely observe project vacancy rates in view of the 
increased housing allowance rates and ensure that the revised housing 
management manual, now scheduled for completion by the end of calendar 
year 2006, addresses the housing requirements issues identified in our 
report. DOD also stated that its privatization program evaluation 
report was not intended to provide real-time project oversight and that 
this was the role of the services' portfolio management systems. Our 
report does not imply that the evaluation report should provide for 
real-time project oversight. Nevertheless, because the evaluation 
report is the department's primary tool for evaluating the program's 
effectiveness, we continue to believe that such a report which focuses 
on key performance metrics and contains accurate and timely information 
is important for OSD in carrying out its oversight and effective 
stewardship of the program. 

DOD partially agreed with our recommendation that the Navy be required 
to upgrade the monitoring and oversight of its housing privatization 
program to ensure consistency, completeness, and preparation of 
appropriate portfolio summary performance reports. DOD stated that it 
disagreed with our assumption that, because the Navy did not prepare 
summary portfolio briefings and the Navy's input to the privatization 
program evaluation report contained errors, the Navy was at risk of not 
being aware of potential problems with projects. DOD also stated that a 
review of other projects conducted by the Navy and a Navy consultant 
did not identify issues such as those we identified at the Kingsville 
II and South Texas projects. However, DOD stated that additional 
guidance was being developed for internal reviews of audits and 
financial data from general partners to ensure accurate monitoring and 
oversight of distributions. Finally, DOD stated that the cost of fire 
and police services at the South Texas project was not invoiced or 
reimbursed for 2 years, not for 4 years, as stated in our report. 

We disagree with DOD's description of the Navy's oversight of its 
housing privatization program and continue to believe that, without 
improvement, the Navy is at risk of being unaware of potential problems 
with projects. First, our report notes that in contrast with the Army 
and the Air Force, the Navy's oversight program was less structured, 
included fewer details on project performance, and did not include 
summary oversight reports on portfolio performance, even though such 
reports were required by Navy guidance. Also, as noted in our report, 
the Navy agreed that oversight improvements were needed and had begun 
conducting a comprehensive review to ensure consistency and 
completeness, upgrade the monitoring and oversight process, and make 
oversight responsibilities better defined and, perhaps, more 
aggressive. Further, we continue to believe that inaccurate project 
status information reported to OSD for five of the eight Navy and 
Marine Corps projects we reviewed indicates a lack of adequate 
oversight and attention to detail. Second, while the Navy and its 
consultant apparently did not identify issues at other projects, the 
Navy was developing additional guidance for internal reviews of audits 
and financial data from general partners to ensure accurate monitoring 
and oversight of distributions. We believe that this action indicates 
the Navy has recognized the need for better oversight and also raises 
the question of why such guidance was not already in place given that 
the housing privatization program began in 1996. Third, regarding the 
reimbursement for the cost of fire and police services at the South 
Texas project, our report contains information provided by top 
management in the Navy's housing privatization program and which we 
revisited with the Navy officials several times over the duration of 
this review. For example, we posed a written question to the Navy 
headquarters housing officials in mid-November 2005 in which we 
reiterated a statement they had previously made to us earlier that Navy 
never billed the South Texas project for fire and police services, and 
asked for the status of the issue. On November 22, 2005, an official on 
the staff of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and 
Environment, without stipulating a set number of years, provided the 
following written response, "Navy Region South East and the 
installation are working to resolve this issue. As of November 15, 
2005, the project had not been billed for the services." Subsequently 
in a December 13, 2005, meeting with Navy privatization program 
officials, we again discussed this issue and were told that they were 
working to resolve the issue. On January 25, 2006, a senior Navy 
housing official told us that the installation had billed the project 
and had received payment within the last month. When we asked about the 
month in which the billing occurred, the same official responded 2 days 
later that "The billing has not yet occurred." In view of these 
statements from the top Navy management officials responsible for 
overseeing the housing privatization program, we believe that DOD's 
comment that cost of fire and police services at the South Texas 
project were not invoiced or reimbursed for 2 years, rather than 4 
years, only helps to illustrate our point--that the Navy should be 
required to upgrade the monitoring and oversight of its housing 
privatization program. 

DOD partially agreed with our recommendation that DOD provide guidance 
to the services to help ensure consistent collection and reporting of 
housing satisfaction information from all service members, which would 
allow for benchmarking and tracking of tenant satisfaction over time as 
well as for making service-to-service comparisons. DOD stated that 
tenant survey guidance already exists and that it would not be suitable 
to overlay a programwide directive because of differences among the 
services in the data they need to help support their specific, 
negotiated business structures. However, DOD also stated that it would 
revise its guidance to require consistent use of a 5-point numerical 
system to measure tenant satisfaction across the services. DOD also 
agreed that (1) housing preferences should be surveyed for all service 
members, not simply those occupying privatized housing; (2) it is 
important to reevaluate servicemember housing preferences driven by 
increased allowances and housing revitalization; and (3) a panel at the 
Office of Secretary of Defense has been studying how to best implement 
such a survey. The intent of our recommendation was not to require the 
services to use identical questions when assessing tenant satisfaction, 
but rather to ensure that the services' methods, questions, and time 
frames were of sufficient consistency to allow for benchmarking, 
tracking, or comparing servicemember satisfaction levels. Ensuring that 
the services use a consistent 5-point numerical system for measuring 
tenant satisfaction is a step in the right direction. However, we 
continue to believe that DOD needs to ensure that the services use 
consistent time frames in order to make maximum use of satisfaction 
information as a tool to help measure whether or not the privatization 
program is succeeding in its goal of improving servicemember quality of 
life. 

DOD's comments are reprinted in their entirety in appendix III. 

We are sending copies of this report to other interested congressional 
committees; the Secretaries of Defense, Army, Navy, and Air Force; and 
the Director, Office of Management and Budget. We will also make copies 
available to others upon request. In addition, the report will be 
available at no charge on GAO's Web site at http://www.gao.gov. 

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please call 
me at (202) 512-5581 or email at holmanb@gao.gov. Contact points for 
our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found 
on the last page of this report. The GAO staff members who made key 
contributions to this report are listed in appendix IV. 

Signed by:

Barry W. Holman, Director: 
Defense Capabilities and Management: 

List of Congressional Addressees: 

The Honorable John Warner: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Carl Levin: 
Ranking Minority Member: 
Committee on Armed Services: 
United States Senate: 

The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison: 
Chair: 
The Honorable Dianne Feinstein: 
Ranking Minority Member: 
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, and 
Related Agencies: 
Committee on Appropriations United States Senate: 

The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter:
Chairman: 
The Honorable Ike Skelton: 
Ranking Minority Member: 
Committee on Armed Services: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable James T. Walsh: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Chet Edwards: 
Ranking Minority Member: 
Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs and 
Related Agencies: 
Committee on Appropriations: 
House of Representatives: 

[End of section] 

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology: 

To determine whether opportunities exist to improve the Department of 
Defense's (DOD) oversight of awarded housing privatization projects, we 
summarized program implementation status and costs, compared the status 
to DOD's goals and milestones, and discussed issues affecting program 
implementation with DOD and service officials. We relied on program 
status data provided by DOD and the services and confirmed the status 
data for 12 privatization projects, but we did not otherwise test the 
reliability of the data. We also obtained, reviewed, and compared DOD 
and service policies, guidance, and procedures for monitoring 
implementation and measuring progress in the housing privatization 
program. We questioned DOD and service officials responsible for the 
program about how they oversee project performance, how they compare 
performance with expectations, and what actions they take when 
performance does not match expectations. We obtained and reviewed 
applicable oversight reports and assessed the extent to which the 
reports included key project performance data, trends, and discussion 
of any performance concerns. We also compared the issue dates of DOD 
and service oversight reports with the due dates to determine the 
timeliness of the reports; reviewed and compared the services' methods 
and time frames used to measure servicemember satisfaction with 
privatized housing; and reviewed the results of DOD and service efforts 
to assess servicemember housing preferences. 

Further, we visited selected military installations with housing 
privatization projects to review oversight at the local level, to 
examine project performance, and to determine whether performance 
information and concerns were adequately captured in oversight reports 
and provided to top management in a timely manner. Specifically, we 
visited Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Naval Air Station 
Corpus Christi, Texas; Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas; Naval 
Station San Diego, California; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; Robins 
Air Force Base, Georgia; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California; 
and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Georgia. These installations 
were chosen because they contained established privatization projects, 
represented each of the military services, and a balance of some with 
and without challenges. Together, the installations contained 12 
separate privatization projects. 

To determine to what extent awarded privatization projects are meeting 
occupancy expectations, we interviewed DOD and service officials to 
discuss project occupancy expectations, the factors that contribute to 
lower than expected occupancy rates, the financial and other impacts 
that result from lower than expected occupancy rates, and the responses 
normally taken when occupancy is below expectations. We obtained, 
reviewed, and analyzed project occupancy rates and trends for all 
projects awarded as of September 30, 2005, and compared these data to 
occupancy expectations. We relied on occupancy data provided by the 
services and did not otherwise attempt to independently determine 
occupancy rates. Also, for the 12 projects at the installations 
visited, we reviewed project justification and budget documents to 
determine each project's occupancy expectations and compared actual 
occupancy rates with the expectations. When occupancy rates were below 
expectations, we reviewed project performance reports and interviewed 
local officials to determine the causes, consequences, and any actions 
taken or planned in response. We also reviewed information on the 
number of privatized family housing units rented to parties other than 
military families and discussed the associated impacts with service 
officials. Further, we determined the status of steps taken by DOD in 
response to previous GAO recommendations to address concerns in the 
reliability of the services' housing requirements assessments. 

We conducted our work from July 2005 through February 2006 in 
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

[End of section] 

Appendix II: Details on 12 Housing Privatization Projects: 

Table 4 provides details on the 12 housing privatization projects at 
the installations visited during this review. 

Table 4: Details on the 12 Housing Privatization Projects We Visited: 

Service, project, location, and award date: Army, Fort Meade, Maryland, 
May 2002; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 3,170; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $461.2; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2012; 
Project description: Government conveyed existing units and leased 
land. Developers to construct 2,748 new units, renovate 422 units, and 
own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: Yes. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Army, Fort Stewart and 
Hunter Army Air Field, Georgia, Nov. 2003; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 3,702; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $353.4; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2011; 
Project description: Government conveyed existing units, leased land, 
and contributed $37.3 million. Developer to construct 1,868 units, 
renovate 1,597 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 
years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Navy, South Texas, Texas, 
Feb. 2002; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 585[A]; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $75.4; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2007[ A]; 
Project description: Government conveyed existing units, leased land, 
and contributed $29.4 million. Developer to construct 470 units, 
renovate 114 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 
years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Navy, Kingsville II, Texas, 
Nov. 2000; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 150; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $14.5; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: Completed;  
Project description: Government conveyed units and land, contributed 
$4.3 million, and provided $2.5 million loan. Developer provided land, 
constructed 150 units, and will own, operate, and maintain the units 
for 30 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Initial development completed; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: Yes. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Navy, San Diego I, 
California, Aug. 2001; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 3,248; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $328.8; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2006;  
Project description: Government conveyed units, leased land, and 
contributed $20.9 million. Developer to construct 1,400 units, renovate 
1,058 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Navy, San Diego II, 
California, May 2003; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 3,217; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $427.0; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2007;  
Project description: Government conveyed units and leased land. 
Developer to construct 460 units, renovate 1,072 units, and own, 
operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Marine Corps, Camp 
Pendleton I, California, Nov. 2000; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 712; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $88.3; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: Completed;  
Project description: Government conveyed units, leased land, and 
provided $29.4 million loan. Developer constructed 512 units, renovated 
200 units, and will own, operate, and maintain the units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Initial development completed; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Marine Corps, Camp 
Pendleton II and Quantico, California and Virginia, Oct. 2003[B]; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 4,534; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $590.3; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2008;  
Project description: Government conveyed units, leased land, and 
contributed $70.7 million. Developer to construct 2,040 units, renovate 
2,394 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Marine Corps, Camp 
Pendleton III and Yuma, California and Arizona, Oct. 2004[B]; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 897; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $85.5; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2006; 
Project description: Government conveyed units, leased land, and 
contributed $18.6 million. Developer to construct 253 units, renovate 
257 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Marine Corps, Tri-Command, 
South Carolina, Mar. 2003; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 1,718; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $175.9; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2007;  
Project description: Government conveyed units, leased land, and 
contributed $26.5 million. Developer to construct 491 units, renovate 
1,227 units, and own, operate, and maintain all units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Yes; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: No. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Air Force, Robbins Air 
Force Base, Georgia, Sept. 2000; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 670; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $56.5; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: Completed; 
Project description: Government conveyed units and land, provided $22.3 
million loan, and provided a guarantee on the private loan. Developer 
constructed 370 units, renovated 300 units, and will own, operate, and 
maintain the units for 50 years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: Initial development completed; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: Yes. 

Service, project, location, and award date: Air Force, Patrick Air 
Force Base, Florida, Oct. 2003; 
Total housing units after initial development period: 552; 
Total estimated initial development cost (in millions): $120.6; 
Estimated completion date for initial development period: 2008;  
Project description: Government conveyed units and land. Developer to 
construct 552 units and own, operate, and maintain the units for 50 
years; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Development progress: on 
schedule?: No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Meeting occupancy expectations?: 
No; 
At the time of our visit, was project: Renting units to parties other 
than military families?: Yes. 

Source: DOD. 

[A] The original scope for the South Texas project was 665 units and 
the original completion date for the initial development period was 
February 2005. The project agreement was modified in August 2004. 

[B] We did not visit the Quantico or Yuma portions of these projects.

[End of table] 

[End of section] 

Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Defense: 

Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense: 
3000 Defense Pentagon: 
Washington, DC 20301-3000: 
Acquisition, Technology And Logistics: 

April 10, 2006: 

Mr. Barry Holman: 
Director, Defense Capabilities and Management: 
U.S. General Accounting Office: 
Washington, D.C. 20548: 

Dear Mr Holman, 

This is the Department of Defense (DOD) response to the GAO draft 
report GAO-06-438, "MILITARY HOUSING: Management Issues - Require 
Attention as the Privatization Program Matures," dated March 1, 2006. 

Thank you for allowing us to comment on your draft report. I consider 
the report a important contribution to our oversight of the 58 projects 
and 121,000 units that have been privatized to date. These projects 
have allowed us to tap private sector resources and initiative to 
eliminate over 91,000 inadequate housing units. In these projects over 
$1 billion dollars of government contribution has generated over $14 
billion in housing development. The report undertook an assessment of 
whether opportunities exist to improve our oversight of awarded housing 
privatization projects and to what extent projects are meeting 
occupancy standards. 

On the issue of oversight, the Program Evaluation Plan (PEP) and report 
is the Department's primary tool for evaluating the program's 
effectiveness in leveraging appropriations, reducing housing deficits, 
eliminating inadequate housing, and appropriately implementing the 
legislative authorities. It is not intended to provide real time 
project oversight. That is the role of the portfolio management systems 
of the military services. We are generally pleased with your assessment 
of how the services are implementing their systems. Where you have 
identified shortcomings, we will act forthrightly to address them. 

Occupancy rates in privatized housing is also an issue worth 
addressing. The revitalization of housing through privatization and the 
five-year increase in housing allowances (enactment of the 
privatization program preceded the initiative to increase allowances) 
should bring about a tremendous improvement in the quality of life of 
military service members. It has also expanded their housing options 
significantly and given them more opportunity to "vote with their 
feet," in choosing housing. As we transition from models of government 
ownership of largely inadequate housing, to private ownership of 
largely inadequate housing, to private ownership of excellent housing, 
our housing requirements determination process must be informed by the 
actual housing preferences of the service members. A housing survey of 
all service members can assist this understanding. More important 
though is an understanding that the housing is being transferred to 
private ownership. Private sector landlords and the lenders that 
finance them respond quickly to vacancies. Our requirements 
determination process must continue to understand the effects of the 
housing revitalization and increase in allowances and it must adjust 
accordingly. 

If you have any questions regarding the attached report please contact 
me at (703) 602-3669.

Signed by:

Joseph K. Sikes: 
Director, Housing and Competitive Sourcing: 

GAO-06-438: 

"Military Housing: Management Issues -Require Attention As The 
Privatization Program Matures" 

Department Of Defense Comments To The Recommendations: 

RECOMMENDATION 1: The General Accounting Office (GAO) recommended that 
the Secretary of Defense direct the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense 
(Installation and Environment) to require the Navy to upgrade the 
monitoring and oversight of its housing privatization program to ensure 
consistency, completeness, and preparation of appropriate portfolio 
summary performance reports. 

DOD RESPONSE: Partially concur. We recognize the need to improve the 
system to ensure accurate reporting. The Navy is striving to achieve a 
balance between the appropriate levels of government oversight while 
maintaining limited governmental involvement. The Navy had begun a 
comprehensive review of potential enhancements to portfolio management 
prior to initiation of the GAO review. Navy representatives have met 
with their counterparts in the Army and Air Force to review their 
portfolio management approaches and are working to incorporate best 
industry practices. 

However, we disagree with the assumption that, because summary annual 
portfolio briefings were not prepared or that Program Evaluation Report 
(PEP) input contained errors, the Navy was at risk of not being aware 
of potential problems with projects. Senior leadership within both the 
Navy and Marines are frequently briefed on ongoing potential issues. 
The following information is provided regarding some of the specific 
findings cited in the draft report. 

The Navy's privatized portfolio average occupancy rate for the first 
quarter of fiscal year 2006 was 93%. With the exception of the 
Northeast Region and South Texas, with occupancy rates of 88% and 78% 
respectively, all Navy privatization projects' occupancy rates were 
above 90% during this time period. The Marine Corps' privatized 
portfolio average occupancy rate for the first quarter of fiscal year 
2006 was 92%. With the exception of Tri-Command, with an occupancy rate 
of 81 %, all Marine Corps privatization projects occupancy rates were 
at or above 90%. 

The GAO finding that Kingsville II project funds in the amount 
$50,282.49 were not properly distributed was corrected in September 
2005. The Navy's general partner has agreed to audit revisions that 
will permit early detection of any issues, and will provide Navy 
additional data in the future to ensure correct financial 
distributions. 

The Navy's South Texas limited partner was not invoiced for fire and 
police services for 2004 and 2005 until February 10, 2006, and the 
general partner paid the full amount March 2, 2006. The GAO draft 
report incorrectly states that services were not invoiced or reimbursed 
for services provided in 2002 and 2003. The Navy's installations and 
regions have worked to ensure that provisions have been established to 
properly invoice the general partner for all reimbursable services. 

A review conducted by the Navy, and their Military Housing 
Privatization Initiative (MHPI) business consultant, of their remaining 
projects noted that the issues identified at Kingsville II and South 
Texas were isolated incidents and not a systemic problem. Additional 
guidance is being developed for internal reviews of audits and 
financial data from general partners to ensure accurate monitoring and 
oversight of distributions. Further, while we agree that PEP reports 
should be accurate, and will aggressively seek to improve accuracy in 
its reports, we believe those errors did not subject Navy projects to 
increased risk. 

RECOMMENDATION 2: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and 
Environment) to improve the value of DOD's privatization program 
evaluation report by streamlining the report to focus on key project 
performance metrics, completing the report on time, and obtaining 
periodic independent verification of key report elements. 

DOD RESPONSE: Concur. In 2001, we initiated the semi-annual PEP report 
to monitor overall MHPI program performance. It has evolved over time 
to meet the needs of the accelerating MHPI program, as it has matured. 
While the PEP is intended to oversee broad program performance, the 
service portfolio management systems oversee the well-being of 
individual projects. In the summer of 2003, we implemented a work plan 
which improved the PEP process used to identify issues and validate 
observations_ Under that work plan methodology, key report elements are 
reviewed and evaluated by consultant support. The services are asked to 
respond to our questions and observations via the PEP Memorandum of 
Observations. In 2005, with an overabundance of data we decided to 
streamline the PEP report and respond to a new Congressional semi- 
annual reporting requirement. We reduced the PEP report from over 300 
pages to a PEP Executive Report of 19 pages to focus on key project 
performance metrics. The first PEP executive report (draft) was 
provided to GAO on February 8, 2006 and a final version was submitted 
to Congress on March 31, 2006. 

RECOMMENDATION 3: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and 
Environment) provide guidance to the services to help ensure consistent 
collection and reporting of housing satisfaction information from all 
service members, which would allow for benchmarking and tracking of 
tenant satisfaction over time as well as for making service-to-service 
comparisons. 

DOD RESPONSE: Partially Concur. Tenant survey guidance already exists 
in the PEP instructions. We will revise that guidance to include a five-
point numerical system, which will be consistent across the Services. 

The military services collect tenant satisfaction data which supports 
their specific, negotiated business structures. That data is suited to 
their specific incentive structures and would not be suitable to 
overlay a program-wide directive on the individual projects. 

However, we concur with the recommendation to collect information on 
the housing preferences of all service members, not simply those 
occupying privatized housing. We believe it is important to re-evaluate 
member housing preferences driven by increased allowances and housing 
revitalization; it makes sense to consistently collect housing 
preferences of all service members. An Office of Secretary of Defense 
Housing panel has been studying how to best implement such a survey. 

RECOMMENDATION 4: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and 
Environment) determine how increased housing allowances from the zero- 
out-of-pocket initiative will most likely impact future family housing 
requirements and provide guidance on how the impacts should be factored 
into the services' housing requirements assessments. 

DOD RESPONSE: Concur. The five-year initiative (2000-2005) to increase 
housing allowances has been implemented. Every housing requirements and 
market analysis (HRMA) since 2003 has used the projected five-year 
basic allowance for housing (BAH) as the maximum allowable housing cost 
(MAHC), thus accounting for the zero out-of-pocket initiative. The 
examples cited in the report are for projects which preceded full 
implementation of that guidance. With more money in their pockets, 
military service members base their housing choices upon many factors, 
including their household income, the condition and affordability of 
available housing, the ratio of military to civilian population, and 
commute time. Further, member housing choices during the initial 
development phases of privatization projects, while housing is still 
inadequate, likely do not reflect actual demand. With increased housing 
allowances in place and housing being revitalized every day, we will 
closely observe vacancy rates. If vacancy rates rise, their impact 
could, for example, be captured by an increase in the MAHC in the 
requirements determination process which would tend to reduce project 
scope. The trend over the last two years has been a decrease in the 
number of units included in MHPI projects, 

RECOMMENDATION 5: The GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense 
direct the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and 
Environment) to expedite issuance of the revised DOD housing management 
manual and ensure that the revision includes guidance to improve the 
reliability of housing requirements assessments and reduce the scope of 
the exceptions provided to the use of available community housing. 

DOD RESPONSE: Concur. Policy for conducting requirements assessments 
was issued by Deputy Secretary in January 2003 and has been applied to 
every housing project since issuance. Housing manual revisions are 
underway which will address the exceptions identified by the report. 
Due to the increasingly important role of privatization in DOD housing, 
we found it necessary to do a broader revision of the manual than we 
had originally planned. We expect to complete the manual and issue it 
by the end of calendar year 2006. Notwithstanding final issuance of the 
manual, regular interim improvements have been made to the original 
housing policy. These improvements are applied in reviewing the HRMAs 
for every housing privatization project.

[End of section] 

Appendix IV: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments: 

GAO Contact: 

Barry W. Holman, (202) 512-5581 (holmanb@gao.gov). 

Acknowledgments: 

In addition to the person named above, Mark A. Little, Assistant 
Director; Janine M. Cantin; Susan C. Ditto; Gary W. Phillips; and 
Sharon L. Reid also made major contributions to this report. 

(350718): 

FOOTNOTES 

[1] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996, Pub. L. 
No. 104-106, § 2801-2841 (1996). 

[2] This report does not include two Navy projects approved under a 
prior legislative authority which gave only the Navy authority to test 
the use of limited partnerships in order to meet the housing 
requirements of naval personnel and their dependents (Pub. L. No. 103- 
337, § 2803 (1994)). 

[3] According to service officials, the expected occupancy rate during 
a project's initial development period, when many housing units are 
being constructed or undergoing renovation, is usually around 90 
percent of the units available for rent. After completion of the 
initial development period, most projects expect occupancy rates of 
about 95 percent. Three of the 16 projects had completed the initial 
development period. Also, our analysis excluded 7 projects awarded as 
of September 30, 2005, because 6 had been privatized for less than 2 
months and 1 project had no units yet available for rent. Of the 44 
projects included in our analysis, 6 additional projects were not 
meeting occupancy expectations but had occupancy rates of 90 percent or 
more. 

[4] According to DOD officials, because privatization projects are 
privately owned, it is a project's developer and private lender--not 
the government--who would bear most of the consequences from a project 
financial failure. Still, DOD has an interest in each project's 
financial success because it has made investments in each project and, 
according to DOD officials, the military's housing objectives can be 
met only if the projects remain viable over the long term. 

[5] GAO, Military Housing: Management Improvements Needed As the Pace 
of Privatization Quickens, GAO-02-624 (Washington, D.C.: June 21, 
2002). 

[6] GAO, Military Housing: Further Improvement Needed in Requirements 
Determinations and Program Review, GAO-04-556 (Washington, D.C.: May 
19, 2004). 

[7] GAO, Military Housing: Privatization Off to a Slow Start and 
Continued Management Attention Needed, GAO/NSIAD-98-178 (Washington, 
D.C.: July 17, 1998). 

[8] GAO, Military Housing: Continued Concerns in Implementing the 
Privatization Initiative, GAO/NSIAD-00-71 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 30, 
2000). 

[9] See GAO-02-624. 

[10] See GAO-04-556. 

[11] The debt coverage ratio is computed by dividing a project's net 
operating income by its debt service payment. Ratios above 1.0 indicate 
that net operating income from a project is sufficient to cover its 
debt service payments. Ratios below 1.0 indicate that a project's net 
operating income is insufficient to cover its debt service payment, 
requiring the use of funds from some other source, if available, to 
cover the debt payment to avoid default. Thus, higher ratios equate to 
lower risk of default while lower ratios typically signify increased 
default risk. According to Army officials, private-sector lenders often 
require that housing privatization projects maintain a minimum positive 
debt coverage ratio, such as 1.2. 

[12] The Tri-Command project includes family housing at the Marine 
Corps Air Station Beaufort, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris 
Island, and the Beaufort Naval Hospital. 

[13] See GAO-02-624. 

[14] H.R. Rep. No. 109-95, at 25 (2005). 

[15] Hearing on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Before 
Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life of the House Appropriations 
Committee, 109th Congress (2005) (Statement of Mr. Philip W. Grone, 
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Installations and Environment). 

[16] According to service officials, it is a project's developer and 
private lender--not the government--who have provided the majority of 
each project's development funds and, consequently, who would bear most 
of the consequences from a project financial failure. According to 
service officials, the primary remedy to lenders in case of a default 
is to replace the project's property manager with one who could better 
market the rental property and thus increase financial results. At the 
same time, however, DOD has an interest in the financial success of 
each project because it has made an investment in each project and, 
according to DOD officials, the military's housing objectives can be 
met only if the projects remain viable over the long term. 

[17] See GAO-02-624. 

[18] A 2005 Army survey showed that 80 percent of enlisted personnel 
and 76 percent of officers reported that they would prefer to live off 
base, if costs were the same. These results are similar to a previous 
DOD housing preference survey. 

[19] See GAO-04-556. 

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