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Courthouse Construction: Improved 5-Year Plan Could Promote More Informed Decisionmaking

GGD-97-27 Published: Dec 31, 1996. Publicly Released: Dec 31, 1996.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts' (AOC) 5-year courthouse construction plan, focusing on whether the 5-year plan: (1) reflects the judiciary's most urgent courthouse construction needs; and (2) provides information needed by decisionmakers to evaluate the relative merit of project proposals.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Administrative Office of the United States Courts The Director, AOC, should work with the Judicial Conference Committee on Security, Space, and Facilities to make improvements to the 5-year plan. These improvements should be aimed at making the plan more informative and a more useful tool for helping Congress to better understand project priorities and individual needs. At a minimum, the plan should fully disclose the relative urgency of competing projects.
Closed – Implemented
AOC has hired Ernst & Young to examine its capital construction process. The initial phase of this process is scheduled for completion next year, but Ernst & Young envisions additional research may be required to get definitive strategies to improve this area. GAO plans to monitor Ernst & Young progress, and when AOC implements Ernst & Young recommendations and staff are available, GAO anticipates revisiting AOC's process to see if it addresses the recommendations.
Administrative Office of the United States Courts The Director, AOC, should work with the Judicial Conference Committee on Security, Space, and Facilities to make improvements to the 5-year plan. These improvements should be aimed at making the plan more informative and a more useful tool for helping Congress to better understand project priorities and individual needs. At a minimum, the plan should articulate the rationale or justification for projects, including information on the conditions that are driving urgency, such as specific concerns or operational inefficiencies.
Closed – Implemented
AOC has hired Ernst & Young to examine its capital construction process. The initial phase of this process is scheduled for completion next year, but Ernst & Young envisions additional research may be required to get definitive strategies to improve this area. GAO plans to monitor Ernst & Young progress, and when AOC implements Ernst & Young recommendations and staff are available, GAO anticipates revisiting AOC's process to see if it addresses the recommendations.

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Topics

Appropriated fundsCongressional oversightConstruction costsFederal courtsFederal office buildingsGovernment facility constructionPrioritizingStrategic planningFederal judiciaryConstruction