Review of the General Services Administration's Electric Utility Intervention Activities

Under the Property and Administrative Services Act, the General Services Administration (GSA) has the management responsibility for ensuring that the Government makes economical purchases of public utility services. To ensure that utility rates are reasonable, GSA intervenes or authorizes other Federal agencies to intervene in State regulatory hearings on retail rate increases proposed by utility companies. GAO reviewed the GSA intervention procedures and controls and evaluated the adequacy of the methods being used to identify significant rate cases, provide guidance to the GSA technical staff assigned to the cases, coordinate GSA and other Federal agency intervention activities, and report on intervention results.