DOD IG audit finds fault; GSA defends improvements

The Defense Department inspector general found that the General Services Administration and DOD made numerous procurement errors by not fully abiding by appropriations law and procurement regulations, according to a yet-to-be-released draft IG audit report.

On Aug. 23, GSA officials defended their improvements to the agency’s procurement processes.

In the July 21 audit, the IG found 55 of the 56 purchases audited were either hastily planned or improperly executed or funded, according to the report. The audit also found:

• GSA and DOD violated the Anti-Deficiency Act by improperly using appropriations on 12 of 54 reviewed purchases.
• GSA’s Client Support Centers (CSCs) did not give enough justification for sole-source procurements on six of 14 purchases.
• DOD organizations’ interagency agreements with GSA were inadequate on 54 of the 56 purchases.

Williams, responding to the draft report Aug. 17, recommended that the IG completely delete the comments about the six sole-source procurements and the four CSCs from the report. He wrote that the IG failed to include evidence for focusing on the centers.

He suggested that the report state that the IG “found significant improvements by both GSA and DOD contracting and program management officials in the use of GSA’s assisted acquisition process,” according to Williams’ letter.

A DOD IG spokesman said the IG stands by the audit. “To date, nothing has been provided to us to change our position,” he said.

DOD and GSA are meeting to resolve problems. Meanwhile, DOD will continue to do business with all CSCs, the report states.

GSA has worked hard to correct any problems and ensure that the agency meets contracting rules and regulations, said David Bibb, GSA deputy administrator.

GSA is mostly concerned about the agency’s credibility with customers, which it has been trying to rebuild, Bibb said. The report leaves an incorrect impression about how GSA handles procurements, he said.