Department of Defense Small Purchases
PSAD-79-81: Published: May 7, 1979. Publicly Released: May 17, 1979.
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Purchases made by the Department of Defense (DOD) were examined with particular emphasis on contracts awarded by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to the Cardwell Condenser Corporation.
The services and DLA are generally following prescribed procurement procedures to insure that prices are reasonable in awarding small purchases. No consistent pattern of overpricing was found on contracts awarded to Cardwell. However, there is a need to correct minor deficiencies. Problems exist with documentation. Price reasonableness on competitive purchases was often based on previous buys. Normally, buyers did not adequately document the basis for determining price reasonableness. Buyers generally did not update source data in the central files when they identified errors. Purchases were sometimes not recorded in the automated system. In a few instances, this resulted in the payment of excessive prices because the buyer did not know of the previous buy at a lower price. Reference data in central files or on bidders' lists were often inaccurate, as were standard prices. If accurate, these prices could be valuable in gaging the reasonableness of bids received. Available sources were not always solicited. These sources would have provided the items at lower prices.
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. -
2020 Census:
Census Bureau Needs to Ensure Transparency over Data QualityGAO-21-262T: Published: Dec 3, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2020.
Nov 30, 2020
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Federal Buying Power:
OMB Can Further Advance Category Management Initiative by Focusing on Requirements, Data, and TrainingGAO-21-40: Published: Nov 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2020.
Nov 24, 2020
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Disaster Response:
Agencies Should Assess Contracting Workforce Needs and Purchase Card Fraud RiskGAO-21-42: Published: Nov 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 24, 2020.
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