Government Accountability Office
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The federal government celebrates Small Business Week with great fanfare. Thursday and Friday, there will be panels, speeches and award ceremonies. But on a day-to-day basis, agencies have had mixed success in helping entrepreneurs. Bill Shear, director of Financial Markets and Community Investment Issues at the Government Accountability Office, has written many reports about ways to improve federal services for small businesses. He told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp some of the challenges to helping small businesses.
May 14, 2014 -
The Air Force does a 180 and now predicts it will meet the September and the 2017 financial management deadlines. Government auditors and Senate lawmakers agree the key to this effort is whether the Defense Department can upgrade and improve their track record in implementing ERP systems.
May 14, 2014 -
Ten years ago, the federal government was faced with a crisis in managing security clearances: costly delays and backlogs in performing background investigations. The Office of Personnel Management stepped in and tremendous progress clearing the backlog and meeting strict new timelines mandated by Congress. But some critics now worry too much focus has been put on speed in the process — and not enough attention has been given to quality. In our special report, Questioning Clearances, Federal News Radio examines why efforts to measure the quality of background investigations have stalled.
May 14, 2014 -
No new recommendations when you're on the high risk list might seem like good news. But the Government Accountability Office says that's partly because it's already made more than 2,100 recommendations since the Homeland Security Department was stood up in 2003. The GAO's latest look at DHS high risk list items shows more than a third of them still need work. David Maurer, director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues at the Government Accountability Office, is writing about some of the ongoing leadership problems that are keeping the department on the high risk list. He joined In Depth with Francis Rose to talk about it.
May 13, 2014 -
Federal Chief Information Officer Steve Van Roekel rolls out the Smarter IT Delivery Agenda. Its goal is to improve the way federal agencies buy IT. Van Roekel introduced the agenda yesterday at a hearing about IT acquisition in the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee. David Powner, director of information technology management issues at the Government Accountability Office, was a witness on the same panel as Van Roekel and GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what his primary message for the committee was.
May 09, 2014 -
Federal CIO Steve VanRoekel details three focus areas to improve how agencies buy technology. He says agencies must have the best people, the best contractors and well-designed processes to ensure success in meeting customer and citizen needs.
May 09, 2014 -
The Office of Personnel Management's Innovation Lab needs to prove it's worth keeping around, according to the Government Accountability Office. GAO says the lab doesn't have performance metrics to show how much its ideas are actually helping other agencies. Seto Bagdoyan, acting director of audit services for GAO's Forensic Audits and Investigative Service, tells In Depth with Francis Rose your agency's innovative problem-solvers need help proving they actually exist.
May 05, 2014 -
What are the fiscal, management, and performance challenges facing government executives? What is the goal of GAO's High Risk List and what are some of the key "high risk" areas? How can audit agencies change the way they do business to properly respond to 21st century governance challenges? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Chris Mihm, managing director, strategic issues, Government Accountability Office.
May 02, 2014 -
The 2009 reform aimed at ending the Pentagon's practice of overpromising the weapons systems it could deliver within the budgets it was asking for is showing signs of success. But DoD's acquisition chief says no amount of legislating will solve cost overruns.
May 01, 2014 -
A GAO report says cost overruns, schedule delays and poor results are plaguing major acquisition projects at the Homeland Security Department. GAO said those problems are probably going to get worse before they get better.
April 30, 2014 -
Absorbing $900 million in budget cuts has created some problems for the IRS, including major staffing reductions and uneven performance. The Government Accountability Office says the agency's budget request of $12.5 billion for fiscal year 2015 is a step in the right direction. Jay McTigue, director of strategic issues for the GAO, tells In Depth with Francis Rose $12.5 billion won't fix what ails the IRS.
April 25, 2014 -
Navy bases are stopping dozens of transportation workers at their gates. All of these workers have criminal records. But a few weeks ago, before a truck driver shot and killed a sailor at Naval Station Norfolk, they would have been allowed on base without question. That's because all hold credentials from the Transportation Security Administration. The cards are known as TWICs. Steve Lord, managing director of Forensic Audits and Investigative Service at the Government Accountability Office, fills in Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the TWIC program.
April 24, 2014 -
Budget cuts have left the IRS high and dry. The Government Accountability Office says the agency has absorbed $900 million in cuts over the past four years. At the same time, the agency is failing to keep up with a growing source of tax revenue: large partnerships. Congress has raised concerns about the extent to which the IRS is able to audit these entities. Jim White, director of tax issues at the GAO, told Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp about the partnerships.
April 23, 2014 -
Budget cuts and a steep drop in the size of the Internal Revenue Service's workforce have resulted in "uneven" performance by the agency, according to the Government Accountability Office. In the wake of reduced staff and shrinking budgets, IRS service levels decreased, the agency was forced to delay two major IT projects and spending on employee training has been slashed by more than 80 percent, according to GAO.
April 22, 2014 -
The Defense Department issues far more sole source contracts than any other agency. Full and open competition is supposed to be the holy grail of awarding Federal contracts. Figuring out when sole source contracts are OK and when they're not is drawing attention from Congress. Belva Martin, director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, tells In Depth with Francis Rose about a new report that says little competition isn't always a good thing.
April 21, 2014