Procurement:
National Institute of Education's Procurement Practices
HRD-86-1: Published: Jan 17, 1986. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 1986.
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In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the National Institute of Education's (NIE) contract award process, focusing on its activities for fiscal year (FY) 1983.
GAO reviewed a sample of 21 of the 33 negotiated contracts that NIE awarded through competitive requests for proposals and found: (1) no evidence that the number of proposals received, prices, cost ranges, or government cost estimates were disclosed during the evaluation process to any offerer that responded to the requests for proposals; and (2) that NIE awarded 5 negotiated cost-reimbursement contracts to other than the lowest offerers. However, the awards of these contracts were not inconsistent since federal procurement regulations do not require negotiated contracts to be awarded to the lowest-cost offerer. GAO also found that, in FY 1983: (1) the NIE Director, who has legal authority to enter into contracts and discretion to exercise that authority, made a decision to award nine contracts to plan a new educational laboratory; (2) NIE awarded 52 new contracts, of which it awarded 14 noncompetitively; and (3) NIE failed to properly justify 4 of the noncompetitive awards. Of the 175 Department of Education employees involved in the procurements that GAO examined, only 1 employee subsequently worked for the specific contractor he was involved with. NIE has drafted an acquisition policies and procedures handbook which establishes uniform policies and procedures for its procurements.
Mar 2, 2021
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High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-119SP: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021. -
High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-383T: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021. -
High-Risk Series:
Dedicated Leadership Needed to Address Limited Progress in Most High-Risk AreasGAO-21-384T: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021.
Feb 3, 2021
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Fixed-Price-Incentive Contracts:
DOD Has Increased Their Use but Should Assess Contributions to OutcomesGAO-21-181: Published: Feb 3, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 3, 2021.
Jan 29, 2021
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Federal Real Property:
Additional Documentation of Decision Making Could Improve Transparency of New Disposal ProcessGAO-21-233: Published: Jan 29, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 29, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
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Federal Rulemaking:
Selected EPA and HHS Regulatory Analyses Met Several Best Practices, but CMS Should Take Steps to Strengthen Its AnalysesGAO-21-151: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 13, 2021
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Department of Energy Contracting:
Improvements Needed to Ensure DOE Assesses Its Full Range of Contracting Fraud RisksGAO-21-44: Published: Jan 13, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 13, 2021.
Dec 16, 2020
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Data Governance:
Agencies Made Progress in Establishing Governance, but Need to Address Key MilestonesGAO-21-152: Published: Dec 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 16, 2020.
Dec 9, 2020
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2020 Census:
The Bureau Concluded Field Work but Uncertainty about Data Quality, Accuracy, and Protection RemainsGAO-21-206R: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 3, 2020
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2020 Census:
Census Bureau Needs to Assess Data Quality Concerns Stemming from Recent Design ChangesGAO-21-142: Published: Dec 3, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2020.
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