Government Accountability Office
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Two new entries join this year's High-Risk List from the Government Accountability Office. Nextgov reports the GAO includes IT acquisition and veterans health care in its biennial risk assessment. Keith Trippie is CEO of Trippie Group, and former executive director of the Enterprise System Development Office in the CIO Office of the Homeland Security Department. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he described the challenges agencies face to get off the list.
February 10, 2015 -
Good help is hard to find. That's especially true at federal agencies looking for smarts in cybersecurity and financial auditing. The latest look-see by the Government Accountability Office shows a number of mission-critical skills gaps in federal agencies. What can agencies do to fill the gaps? Robert Goldenkoff, the director of Strategic Issues at GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to offer some answers.
February 10, 2015 -
Bid shopping is back on the radar screens of agencies across government. Prime contractors usually only do 10 to 40 percent of the work on federal construction projects. The Government Accountability Office says some of their subcontractors are accusing them of manipulating their agreements to pay them less and pocket the difference. Marie Mak, director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at the GAO, tells In Depth with Francis Rose how often prime contractors use bid shopping.
February 02, 2015 -
The Defense Department knows it wants to reduce the size of its headquarters, but it doesn't know exactly how. John Pendleton, director of defense capabilities and management issues at the Government Accountability Office, tells In Depth with Francis Rose how the Pentagon should plan to trim down its management offices.
January 27, 2015 -
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller wants new ways to punish SES members accused of misconduct, including possible pension reductions, limits on paid leave. He also wants to curtail VA's bonus award system.
January 23, 2015 -
A protest by a California man, who claimed his entry in a Federal Trade Commission contest wasn't properly evaluated, was dismissed by the Government Accountability Office in 2013. However, the protester, David Frankel, followed up by suing in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. In this week's Legal Loop segment, procurement attorney Joe Petrillo, a partner at the law firm Petrillo & Powell, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss this new ruling further.
January 22, 2015 -
The Homeland Security Department is falling short on securing federal buildings from cyber attack. Your office may be vulnerable to attacks that would keep you from getting in or out, or could make the climate in the building unbearable. It may even encounter other problems that could impact the ability of your agency to meet its mission. Mark Goldstein is director of Physical Infrastructure Issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said building security is far more complicated than it used to be.
January 19, 2015 -
A list of agencies at high risk of waste, fraud and abuse is due from the Government Accountability Office this year. Linda Springer is the executive director of the government and public sector practice for Ernst and Young. In her Top 3 for 2015, she tells In Depth with Francis Rose why she's curious about the GAO High Risk List and how Congress will react to the report.
January 14, 2015 -
Double dipping from the federal government gets more common as agencies rehire more and more retirees. The Government Accountability Office says between 2004 and 2013, the amount of federal employees hired out of retirement rose from 5 percent to 8 percent of the overall workforce. Yvonne Jones is director of strategic issues at the GAO. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she explained how OPM approves employee double dipping.
January 14, 2015 -
Agencies have a special name for projects where a subcontractor does at least 70 percent of the work. There's also a special rule to help agencies track how the money flows in those types of contracts to try to minimize the risk of overpayments. Tim DiNapoli is director of acquisition and sourcing management issues at the Government Accountability Office. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained how well agencies follow that that special rule -- which is important, because three agencies spent about $190 billion on those types of contracts in fiscal 2013.
January 05, 2015 -
A Government Accountability Office report says the Defense Department needs to close a gap in interagency communications to reduce the risk of foreign observation of its testing facilities.
January 01, 2015 -
As agencies decide on a two-year plan for structuring their senior executive workforce, one agency head says that the Office of Personnel Management is keeping some of the best and brightest from joining the SES.
December 30, 2014 -
Pentagon and Congressional defense leaders worry military bases, especially large test ranges, are potential targets for spying by foreign governments. That's why they want to know who their neighbors are and what they are doing so close to DOD camps and bases. Brian Lapore is the director of Defense Capabilities and Management at the Government Accountability Office. On the Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he explained why it's important to understand who owns and occupies the land surrounding training ranges.
December 30, 2014 -
The inspector general of the Government Accountability Office says a former worker had been receiving improper payments from GAO for decades.
December 26, 2014 -
Ronald Youngs, the director of the Defense Contract Management Agency's cost and pricing center, and Eileen Larence, a director for Homeland Security and Justice Issues at the Government Accountability Office, are retiring after more than 65 years of combined federal service.
December 23, 2014