Payment for Newspaper Advertisements Without Prior Authorization

The Joint Cruise Missile Project Office (JCMPO) requested authorization for payment of newspaper employment advertisements. GAO was advised that the normal methods of recruiting did not produce qualified candidates. Since the required advance written approval was not obtained prior to the placement of the advertisements, GAO had no authority to pay the publishers of these newspapers. The urgency of the need and the inability to recruit through normal channels did not remove the statutory prohibition to payment. However, in somewhat similar circumstances, GAO has concluded that because the newspapers published the advertisements in good faith and the Government received the benefits thereof, the equities warranted reporting of the claims under the Meritorious Claims Act. Accordingly, on the assumption that JCMPO will go through proper channels in the future, GAO submitted the claims to Congress under the Act recommending that payment be authorized.