Let’s Get Rid of the Ghost Task Order Contracts

Want to bury a contract? Just execute it as a task order inside one of the many multi-billion dollar indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery vehicles used across the government to buy a wide range of information technology hardware and services.

We’re talking real money here. The combined value of the GSA Alliant, DISA Encore II, Air Force Netcents II, NASA SEWP, and VA Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology totals a staggering $114 billion, with little or no visibility into task orders once the overall umbrella contracts are awarded.

President Obama on Monday called for an overhaul of how the government runs IT procurements.

A mandate to post all task order awards on a public website would be a good start.