Department of Energy:
Opportunity for Enhanced Oversight of Major System Acquisitions
RCED-97-146R: Published: Apr 30, 1997. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 1997.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on how the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-11 can help address the Department of Energy's (DOE) problems in completing its largest and most significant systems projects.
GAO noted that: (1) Title V of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act is designed to foster the development of: (a) measurable cost, schedule, and performance goals; and (b) incentives for acquisition personnel to reach these goals; (2) subtitle B, which applies to civilian agencies, provides that agency heads are to establish cost, schedule, and performance goals for acquisition programs and annually report on the progress in meeting these goals; (3) these goals are to include achieving, on average, 90 percent of the established cost and schedule goals without reducing the performance or capabilities of the items being acquired; (4) subtitle B also requires that agency heads manage employees in acquisition positions, including their education, training, and career development, by relating their evaluations, pay, and promotions to their performance in helping achieve cost, schedule, and performance goals; (5) furthermore, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 provides for the establishment of policies and procedures for the management, education, and training of the civilian acquisition workforce; (6) the career development of this workforce is to include the identification of appropriate career paths, mandatory education and training in the critical duties and tasks of these career paths, and an enhanced system of performance incentives to encourage agencies to specify in their budget justification documents the funding levels requested for educating and training the acquisition workforce; (7) under the act, the funds appropriated for this purpose may not be used for any other purpose; (8) OMB issued Circular A-11, which included new guidance for agencies to use in the planning, budgeting, and acquisition of fixed assets, such as land, buildings, and equipment; (9) one purpose of this guidance is to ensure that agencies acquisition plans support the agencies mission statements, long-term goals and objectives, and annual performance plans developed under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993; (10) GAO believes that these changes in procurement law could help DOE recruit additional contracting staff and improve the technical capabilities of its existing staff; and (11) hence, these changes could help to address a long-standing departmental problem.
Dec 10, 2020
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Uranium Management:
Actions to Mitigate Risks to Domestic Supply Chain Could Be Better Planned and CoordinatedGAO-21-28: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
Dec 8, 2020
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Offshore Wind Energy:
Planned Projects May Lead to Construction of New Vessels in the U.S., but Industry Has Made Few Decisions amid UncertaintiesGAO-21-153: Published: Dec 8, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 8, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Nuclear Waste Disposal:
Better Planning Needed to Avoid Potential Disruptions at Waste Isolation Pilot PlantGAO-21-48: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Oct 29, 2020
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Nuclear Safety:
DOE and the Safety Board Should Collaborate to Develop a Written Agreement to Enhance OversightGAO-21-141: Published: Oct 29, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2020.
Oct 15, 2020
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Nuclear Weapons:
NNSA Plans to Modernize Critical Depleted Uranium Capabilities and Improve Program ManagementGAO-21-16: Published: Oct 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 15, 2020.
Jul 24, 2020
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Nuclear Weapons:
Action Needed to Address the W80-4 Warhead Program's Schedule ConstraintsGAO-20-409: Published: Jul 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Jul 24, 2020.
Jun 24, 2020
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National Nuclear Security Administration:
Analyzing Cost Savings Program Could Result in Wider Use and Additional Contractor EfficienciesGAO-20-451: Published: Jun 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 24, 2020.
Jun 9, 2020
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Nuclear Weapons:
NNSA Needs to Incorporate Additional Management Controls Over Its Microelectronics ActivitiesGAO-20-357: Published: Jun 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2020.
May 13, 2020
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Environmental Liabilities:
DOE Needs to Better Plan for Post-Cleanup Challenges Facing SitesGAO-20-373: Published: May 13, 2020. Publicly Released: May 13, 2020.
May 12, 2020
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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant:
DOE Is Pursuing Pretreatment Alternatives, but Its Strategy Is Unclear While Costs Continue to RiseGAO-20-363: Published: May 12, 2020. Publicly Released: May 12, 2020.
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