Training Procurement: Weaknesses Identified in NTSB Procurement Practices

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO investigated the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) procurement of training courses provided by a specific contractor, focusing on whether NTSB: (1) kept incomplete records of training procurements; (2) circumvented procurement regulations when it split the contract into two separate purchase orders; (3) duplicated payments to the same instructor; (4) improperly accepted the misrepresentation of an instructor's qualifications; and (5) allowed instructors to use abusive training techniques in classes attended by NTSB employees.