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As of May 2, 2024, there are 5101 open recommendations that still need to be addressed. 413 of these are priority recommendations, those that we believe warrant priority attention. Learn more about our priority designation on our Recommendations page.

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1 - 20 of 5101 Recommendations, including 413 Priority Recommendations

Navy Shipbuilding: Increased Use of Leading Design Practices Could Improve Timeliness of Deliveries

GAO-24-105503
Shelby S. Oakley
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11 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Congress Congress should consider updating statutory certification and production readiness review reporting requirements for Navy shipbuilding programs under section 8669c of title 10 United States Code, to require certification of the completion of basic and functional design in 3D modeling and the positioning and routing of all major distributive systems prior to the start of construction (consistent with leading industry practices in ship design). (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Congress Congress should consider requiring, as part of section 8669c of title 10, United States Code, that the Navy certify that detail design will be completed for each block of a ship's construction before beginning construction of that block. (Matter for Consideration 2)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Congress Congress should consider requiring, as part of section 8669c of title 10, United States Code, that the Navy report on the degree of vendor-furnished information completeness supporting the overall maturity and stability of a ship's design before beginning construction. (Matter for Consideration 3)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that each shipbuilding program reevaluates validated requirements in capability development documents before the start of construction for individual ships and periodically during ship construction to confirm their continued relevance and identify any appropriate changes. (Recommendation 1)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that shipbuilding programs complete functional design for new ships before awarding detail design and construction contracts. (Recommendation 2)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the design teams for new ship designs include user representation, such as current or recent operators and engineers from the Navy's fleet, to provide consistent, direct user input in the design review process and inform decision-making. (Recommendation 3)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should develop a robust digital ship design library to enhance the Navy's ability to leverage existing designs and expedite design and construction. (Recommendation 4)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should—in coordination with Navy shipbuilders—evaluate opportunities to accelerate the receipt of reliable vendor-furnished information to support earlier design maturity for new ships. (Recommendation 5)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should evaluate the response timelines for reviewing and approving design products and the sufficiency of the Navy's resources supporting design review and decision-making processes to identify any opportunities to shorten design review timelines. (Recommendation 6)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should establish—and regularly update, as needed— guidance outlining the information and evaluation methodology used to certify the completion of basic and functional design prior to a ship's construction start for any major shipbuilding program, to include the Navy's explanation of what design activities and outputs must be accomplished to meet the statutory requirement for completion of a ship's basic and functional design. (Recommendation 7)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should evaluate opportunities to increase the use of modern design tools, including digital twinning and virtual or augmented reality. (Recommendation 8)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Public Health Preparedness: HHS Should Address Strategic National Stockpile Coordination Challenges

GAO-24-106260
Mary Denigan-Macauley
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response should work with CDC to clearly define ASPR's and CDC's roles and responsibilities related to the SNS in a formal document and share that document with jurisdictions. (Recommendation 1)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response should develop standard operating procedures, outlining how and when guidance documents, such as those for requesting and receiving SNS assets, are updated. Consistent with GAO's Standards for Internal Control, these standard operating procedures should include internal review processes, opportunities for stakeholder feedback, and timeframes for updating. (Recommendation 2)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response The Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response should formally designate an entity—such as the Office of SLTT Preparedness—to regularly engage with Tribes and relevant stakeholders to (1) assess the unique challenges, such as infrastructure and geography, that could affect the delivery of SNS assets to Tribes during future emergencies and (2) develop options for how to address those challenges. (Recommendation 3)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

NASA Cybersecurity: Plan Needed to Update Spacecraft Acquisition Policies and Standards

GAO-24-106624
William Russell, Kevin Walsh
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
National Aeronautics and Space Administration The NASA Administrator should ensure that the Chief Engineer, the Chief Information Officer, and the Principal Advisor for Enterprise Protection develop an implementation plan with time frames to update its spacecraft acquisition policies and standards to incorporate essential controls required to protect against cyber threats. (Recommendation 1)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Foreign Assistance: USAID Should Strengthen Risk Management in Conflict Zones

GAO-24-106192
Latesha Love-Grayer
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5 Open Recommendations
Agency Recommendation Status
U.S. Agency for International Development The USAID Administrator should ensure that BHA conducts comprehensive assessments of fraud risks relevant to its responses in Nigeria, Somalia, and Ukraine and develops response-specific fraud risk profiles based on those assessments. (Recommendation 1)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
U.S. Agency for International Development The USAID Administrator should ensure that CPS conducts a comprehensive assessment of fraud risks relevant to its program in Ukraine and develops a program-specific fraud risk profile based on that assessment. (Recommendation 2)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
U.S. Agency for International Development The USAID Administrator should ensure that the USAID Nigeria mission conducts comprehensive assessments of fraud risks relevant to its programs and develops program-specific fraud risk profiles based on those assessments. (Recommendation 3)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
U.S. Agency for International Development The USAID Administrator should ensure that the USAID Somalia mission conducts comprehensive assessments of fraud risks relevant to its programs and develops program-specific fraud risk profiles based on those assessments. (Recommendation 4)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
U.S. Agency for International Development The USAID Administrator should ensure that the USAID Ukraine mission conducts comprehensive assessments of fraud risks relevant to its programs and develops program-specific fraud risk profiles based on those assessments. (Recommendation 5)
Open

When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Note: the list of open recommendations for the last report may continue on the next page.

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