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- Addressed

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- Partially Addressed

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- Not Addressed

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- Consolidated or Other

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- Pending

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- Closed-Partially Addressed

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- Closed-Not Addressed

Year Identified: 2019

Area Number: 3

Area Type: Fragmentation, Overlap & Duplication

Action:

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment assesses whether the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Document Services’ single manager role for printing and reproduction provides the best value to the government—as determined by quality, price, and delivery time and in light of DLA Document Services’ transformation plan—and whether any additional efficiencies are possible, and use the results of that assessment to inform the revision of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) DOD Instruction 5330.03

Progress:

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with GAO’s October 2018 recommendation. In July 2019, DOD had completed a study of printing and reproduction services to determine the best value to the department. As of December 2019, according to a DOD official, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment plans to develop steps toward achieving the best value to the government based on the study results, and update DOD Instruction 5330.03, which describes the mission, responsibilities, functions, and relationships of DLA Document Services by July 2020. Completion of these actions would allow DOD to determine if further efficiencies in its document services are possible.

Action:

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment assesses whether the Department of Defense’s (DOD) current approach to obtaining print devices represents the best value to the government or whether other approaches, such as further consolidations under the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Document Services as a proposed single manager for print device procurement, would be more cost-effective.

Progress:

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with GAO’s October 2018 recommendation. In July 2019, DOD had completed a study of printing and reproduction services to determine the best value to the department. As of December 2019, according to a DOD official, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment plans to develop steps toward achieving the best value to the government based on the study results, and update DOD Instruction 5330.03, which describes the mission, responsibilities, functions, and relationships of DLA Document Services by July 2020. Completion of these actions would allow DOD to determine if further efficiencies in its document services are possible.

Action:

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Chief Information Officer implements (CIO) controls, such as reporting procedures, to routinely monitor actions to reduce the number of print devices, consistent with department-wide goals for reducing the number of print devices that are included in the CIO’s 2012 memorandum.

Progress:

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with GAO’s October 2018 recommendation. As of December 2019, DOD had ongoing actions intended to address the recommendation. For example, according to a DOD official, the DOD Chief Information Officer (CIO) will collaborate with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment to define the necessary responsibilities, policy, and procedures in the planned revision of DOD Instruction 5330.03, which describes the mission, responsibilities, functions, and relationships of DLA Document Services. DOD plans to update the instruction by July 2020. Implementing controls, such as clarifying responsibilities, policy, and procedures would better enable DOD to achieve department-wide goals for reducing print devices it established in the CIO's 2012 memorandum.

Action:

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) assigns responsibility for implementing the CIO’s 2012 memorandum on optimizing the use of employee information technology devices.

Progress:

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with GAO’s October 2018 recommendation. As of December 2019, DOD had ongoing actions intended to address the recommendation. For example, according to a DOD official, the DOD Chief Information Officer (CIO) will collaborate with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment to define the necessary responsibilities, policy, and procedures in the planned revision of DOD Instruction 5330.03, which describes the mission, responsibilities, functions, and relationships of DLA Document Services. DOD plans to update the instruction by July 2020. Implementing controls, such as clarifying responsibilities, policy, and procedures would better enable DOD to achieve department-wide goals for reducing print devices it established in the CIO's 2012 memorandum.

Action:

The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Director, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), in coordination with the Director, DLA Document Services and following implementation of the current transformation plan, gathers data on workload revenue at retained facilities and all mission specialties and evaluates whether additional opportunities for consolidation exist based on those data.

Progress:

The Department of Defense (DOD) concurred with GAO’s October 2018 recommendation. According to DLA official in December 2019, DLA Document Services analyzed additional workload revenue at retained facilities. Based on its analysis, DLA Document Services determined that it would close an additional three facilities and is evaluating whether it can close another five facilities. As a result of these actions, DOD has achieved additional efficiencies through further consolidations.