Coast Guard Cutters: Actions Needed Now to Ensure Better Management of Parts and Supplies
RCED-95-62
Published: Jan 24, 1995. Publicly Released: Jan 24, 1995.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Coast Guard's inventory management system for its fleet of 240 cutters to identify any wasteful or inefficient practices that should be changed, focusing on: (1) whether the Coast Guard has the systems it needs to effectively manage its inventory of spare and repair parts and supplies; and (2) initiatives the Coast Guard has under way to improve its inventory management.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Transportation | To enable the Coast Guard to manage its cutter inventories more effectively between now and when the Logistics Master Plan is fully implemented, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Coast Guard Commandant to make the use of the current automated inventory control program mandatory on all cutters that have sufficient computer hardware and have not implemented CMplus, consolidate and analyze inventory data for each class, and redistribute excess parts from additional cutter classes as warranted. |
Closed – Implemented
As of December 2000, the Coast Guard had developed and installed CMplus (an integrated configuration-based supply and maintenance application) to its cutter fleet. In fiscal year 2002, the Coast Guard will complete testing of the centralized CMplus database and deploy it to over 400 shore units. At that time, the agency will also upgrade the cutter version and deploy it to over 200 cutters.
|
| Department of Transportation | To enable the Coast Guard to manage its cutter inventories more effectively between now and when the Logistics Master Plan is fully implemented, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Coast Guard Commandant to, where economically feasible, consolidate at regional support centers those cutter inventories that are located at individual onshore storage facilities, particularly where several cutters from the same class are clustered or where the cutters' individual onshore storage facilities are housed within a single building. |
Closed – Implemented
According to the Coast Guard, the concept of regional support centers with centralized oversight of shore-side inventory has been developed. The Coast Guard has consolidated shore-side inventory at three locations and has completely consolidated the inventories for the 110 foot cutters. Moreover, the agency has leveraged outsourcing possibilities where ever it makes sense for the Coast Guard. For example, the Defense Logistics Agency now manages all but unique consumable materials for the Coast Guard. Finally, the information system that can support inventory ashore nationwide was field tested and deployed in 2001 and the entire Fleet Logistics System is expected to be fully operational by 2003.
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| Department of Transportation | To enable the Coast Guard to manage its cutter inventories more effectively between now and when the Logistics Master Plan is fully implemented, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the Coast Guard Commandant to move up the implementation date for the Coast Guard's initiative to establish a single source of accountability for all fleet logistics. This action will allow the Coast Guard to better coordinate interim actions to improve management of its cutter inventories while the fleetwide logistics system is being developed. |
Closed – Implemented
The Engineering Logistics Center, which will merge the Coast Guard's Supply Centers at Baltimore and Curtis Bay, along with selected Coast Guard headquarters elements, into one unit and integrate the vessel maintenance guidance and supply functions, was originally scheduled for 1998. However, the Coast Guard completed this action in June 1996.
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Topics
Computer equipment contractsSoftwareInventory control systemsMilitary inventoriesMilitary vesselsSpare partsMilitary forcesLogisticsInventoriesInventory control