IG gives GSA support centers a clean bill of health

The General Services Administration's regional Client Support Centers (CSCs) have greatly improved since GSA launched a program called “Get It Right” in 2004, according to a Sept. 29 GSA Inspector General report.

“The CSCs have implemented the national controls identified in the previous administrator’s ‘Get it Right’ plan, and overall contracting practices have improved considerably compared to our past audits,” the IG audit states.

GSA’s 11 regional CSCs — found to be noncompliant with regulations in a June 14, 2005, audit — now are complying with Federal Acquisition Service regulations and Defense Department guidelines.

Although the IG found minor problems, they were isolated cases and not pervasive, according to the audit. For example, the Mid-Atlantic CSC paid $16,000 for business class airfare for two people when the IG estimated the cost should have been about $4,500.

DOD customers represent more than 82 percent of the CSCs’ business, according to the audit. The fiscal 2005 Defense Authorization bill mandated that DOD and GSA IGs review each center to determine its compliance with regulations.

GSA's business through centers slipped sharply in fiscal 2005, to $3.6 billion from $5.4 billion the year before.