GSA Procurement: Quality Assurance for Common-Use Items Should Be Improved
GGD-87-65
Published: Jun 29, 1987. Publicly Released: Jul 15, 1987.
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Highlights
In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Supply Service's (FSS) Quality Approved Manufacturer Agreement Program (QAMA).
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected Sort descending | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should reinforce the requirement for ACO to monitor contractors' replacement efforts until the agencies receive a satisfactory replacement. |
GSA issued an instructional memo to its regions.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should: (1) direct quality assurance groups to perform warehouse surveillance as soon as possible, when defective items are identified; and (2) provide better control over defective items being held on administrative hold in FSS warehouses. One alternative would be to physically separate defective items from items without defects. |
GSA changed its procedures to require quality investigations to be completed within 2 workdays. GSA assigned full-time quality assurance specialists to the warehouses.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should direct quality assurance groups to accept only those quality control systems which meet the provisions of Federal Standard 368A. |
GSA plans to follow its internal procedures.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should develop procedures to ensure that: (1) all complaints received by contract management divisions are recorded in performance histories; and (2) details on past performance are included in preaward survey reports. |
GSA issued additional instructions requiring the review of performance history files prior to preparing preaward surveys.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should: (1) standardize the complaint reporting procedures contained in the Federal Property Management Regulations, GSA supply catalog, assistance guides, newsletters, and single award schedules; (2) provide reporting instructions that let agencies know where to submit complaints; and (3) disseminate complaint reporting instructions to federal agencies and instruct the agencies to provide these instructions to their supply personnel. |
GSA has written one procedure for reporting quality complaints and incorporated it into its catalogues and market letters to federal agencies.
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Topics
Federal supply systemsInventoriesProcurement practicesProgram managementQuality assuranceQuality controlReporting requirementsProcurementFederal agenciesWarehouse facilities