District of Columbia: Authority Needs to Improve Its Procurement Practices
GGD-99-134
Published: Aug 18, 1999. Publicly Released: Aug 18, 1999.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the procurement practices of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority, focusing on whether: (1) applicable procurement regulations and procedures were followed in awarding and administering selected contracts on behalf of the Authority's former Chief of Management Officer and to Thompson, Cobb, Bazilio and Associates; and (2) the Authority and the District received the goods and services that they contracted and paid for in the contracts that GAO reviewed.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority | To improve its contracting operations, the Chair of the Authority should require the Executive Director to: (1) approve and justify all waivers of Authority contracting regulations in writing; (2) only extend contracts in writing and prohibit the Executive Director from extending or modifying expired contracts; and (3) include in contract files a written certification, signed by an appropriate official, stating that the contractor's performance was or was not satisfactory. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance (Authority) will terminate as of September 28, 2001, and its contracts activity will be assigned to the District of Columbia's Chief of Procurement for administration and oversight. As a result, this recommendation is no longer applicable.
|
| District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority | To improve its contracting operations, the Chair of the Authority should direct the Executive Director to: (1) fully define the roles and responsibilities of the Authority's procurement staff; (2) prepare a written plan for contracting that includes methods for ensuring compliance with the procurement regulations; (3) provide guidance to the procurement staff on areas, such as determining best value, developing performance standards for work statements, monitoring and certifying contractors' performance, preparing written justifications for sole source awards, documenting the basis for contract selection, awarding contracts that are between $100,000 and $500,000, and executing contract modifications, or contract options. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Authority will terminate as of September 28, 2001, and its contracting activities will be transferred to the District of Columbia's Chief of Procurement for administration and oversight. As a result, this recommendation is no longer applicable.
|
| District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority | To improve its contracting operations, the Chair of the Authority should hold the Executive Director and other procurement staff accountable for ensuring that they follow the Authority's procurement regulations. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The Authority will terminate as of September 28, 2001, and its contracting activities will be transferred to the District of Columbia's Chief of Procurement for administration and oversight. As a result, this recommendation is no longer applicable.
|
| District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority | To improve its contracting operations, the Chair of the Authority should require the Executive Director to assess whether the Authority's processes and controls for the review and approval of District contracts prior to award are effective and, if not, make the appropriate changes. |
Closed – Implemented
The Authority hired a contractor in October 1999 to audit the procurement practices of independent District agencies. The Authority provided support to show that a contractor was hired to provide audit services to assit the Authority in reviewing procurement practices of the District of Columbia government agencies for compliance with District procurement laws and regulations as well as compliance with budget requirements and best procurement practices. The Authority states that the audit reports of the independent agenices did not disclose any major procurement issues.
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Topics
Internal controlsIrregular procurementNoncomplianceProcurement policyProcurement practicesReporting requirementsSole source procurementState and local procurementProcurementProcurement regulations