Telecommunications: Agencies Should Fully Implement Established Transition Planning Practices to Help Reduce Risk of Costly Delays
GAO-20-155
Published: Apr 07, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 07, 2020.
Fast Facts
Federal agencies must transition their telecommunications services to new contracts before their current contracts expire in May 2023.
However, most agencies we looked at did not meet key dates for completing contract transition activities (such as soliciting vendor proposals or issuing work orders to selected vendors).
These agencies also do not plan to complete the transition by the September 2022 deadline set by the General Services Administration. Delays in transitioning will cause agencies to miss out on cost savings and may cause disruptions in service.
We made 25 recommendations to help agencies effectively plan for the transition.
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Highlights
What GAO Found
As of October 2019, the 19 selected agencies were in different stages of transitioning from their soon-to-be-expiring telecommunications contracts to the new Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) program. All of these agencies reported that they plan to fully transition to EIS before current contracts expire in May 2023. However, 11 agencies did not plan to fully transition by the General Services Administration's (GSA) September 30, 2022, milestone. The majority of the selected agencies also did not meet GSA's milestones for completing critical contracting actions in 2019 (see table). While transitioning to EIS is a complex undertaking, delaying this transition will cause agencies to miss potential cost savings that would result from the generally lower rates for services on EIS.
Nineteen Selected Agencies' Status In, and Plans for, Completing Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) Transition Activities by the General Services Administration's (GSA) Milestone Dates
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|
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Number of agencies |
Number of agencies that |
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Finish releasing all |
March 31, 2019 |
5 |
14 |
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Finish issuing all |
September 30, 2019 |
1 |
18 |
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Fully transition |
September 30, 2022 |
8 |
11 |
Source: GAO analysis of data provided by agency officials. | GAO-20-155.
aA solicitation is a request to submit offers or quotations to the government. Fair opportunity is a process in which each of the awardees under a multiple-award task order or delivery order (i.e., order for services or supplies, respectively) contract must be provided with a fair opportunity to be considered for each order exceeding $3,500 issued under the contract, unless exceptions apply.
bA task order is an order for services placed against an established task order contract.
Five selected agencies—the Departments of Commerce (Commerce), Health and Human Services (HHS), State (State), and Veterans Affairs (VA); and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—had partially implemented established planning practices that can help agencies successfully transition their telecommunications services to new contracts. These practices are to: (1) develop an accurate inventory of telecommunications services, (2) perform a strategic analysis of telecommunications requirements, (3) develop a structured transition management approach, (4) identify the resources needed for the transition, and (5) develop a transition plan. The agencies provided several reasons for partially implementing the practices. For example, transition officials at Commerce, NASA, and VA said that they were not responsible for tracking all of the telecommunications services in use at their agencies; as such, they were unable to provide complete telecommunications inventories. The agencies also planned to implement certain practices after they issue their EIS task orders. However, the limited time remaining to complete the transition makes it critical that agencies conduct early planning with the information available and fully implement these transition planning practices to reduce the risk that the agencies experience the types of delays that occurred in previous transitions.
Why GAO Did This Study
GSA is responsible for contracts that provide telecommunications services for federal agencies. In preparation for the expiration of current telecommunications programs, including one called Networx, GSA has developed a successor program, known as EIS. GSA and agencies now must carry out the task of successfully transitioning to EIS contracts. Previous contract transitions experienced significant delays. Those delays during the transition to Networx resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in missed savings.
GAO was asked to review agencies' EIS transition preparations. This report discusses (1) selected agencies' plans for, and status in, transitioning to EIS; and (2) the extent to which selected agencies were implementing established transition planning practices.
GAO administered a survey to 19 selected agencies that spent at least $10 million on telecommunications in fiscal year 2018 regarding their plans for and status in transitioning to EIS. GAO also selected five of these agencies for further review—Commerce, HHS, NASA, State, and VA—based on, among other things, agency size and structure. For these agencies, GAO evaluated documentation to determine the extent to which they had implemented five planning practices identified in a previous GAO report.
Recommendations
GAO is making a total of 25 recommendations to Commerce, HHS, NASA, State, and VA, to fully implement the established transition planning practices. These agencies concurred with all of the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Commerce | The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer updates the telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at the agency, and updates Commerce's process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. (Recommendation 1) |
Commerce concurred with this recommendation. Commerce officials stated that most bureaus have completed the telecommunications inventory, but some are continuing to gather the inventory across the organization. For example, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is continuing to gather the inventory and estimated completion date is after fiscal year 2024. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of Commerce | The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services; conducts and documents a comprehensive strategic analysis at all bureaus to identify areas for optimization and sharing of telecommunications resources; evaluates the costs and benefits of implementing new telecommunications technology and alternative options at all bureaus; and fully aligns Commerce's telecommunications needs with its long-term IT plans and enterprise architecture. (Recommendation 2) |
Commerce concurred with this recommendation. Commerce officials stated that many of the department's bureaus plan to or have already transitioned services to a comparable service. However, as of January 2024, it did not provide evidence to demonstrate its efforts to identify future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services; conducting and documenting a comprehensive strategic analysis at all bureaus to identify areas for optimization and sharing of telecommunications resources; evaluating the costs and benefits of implementing new telecommunications technology and alternative options at all bureaus; and fully aligning Commerce's telecommunications needs with its long-term IT plans and enterprise architecture We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of Commerce | The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer finalizes the responsibilities related to the information security management role during the telecommunications transition, and assigns the roles for providing legal expertise during the transition, as well as for managing human capital, telecommunications assets, and information security during the transition, to staff members; describes how changes and disruptions related to the transition will be communicated to end users at all bureaus and identifies the key local and regional agency transition officials responsible for disseminating information about the transition to employees and working with the vendor to facilitate transition activities in Commerce's transition communications plan; and establishes and implements configuration and change management processes for its transition. (Recommendation 3) |
Commerce concurred with this recommendation. Commerce officials stated that the bureaus are reaching out to all subject matter offices to help with the EIS transition, general counsel offices are helping with contracts, and cyber security professionals to support all transition activities. Further, the department stated that one of its bureaus has fully implemented the role of the Chief Information Security Office in the EIS transition. However, as of January 2024, it did not provide evidence of addressing this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of Commerce | The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies all of the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition; justifies requests for resources related to transition program management staff; conducts an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort; and analyzes training needs for staff assisting with the transition. (Recommendation 4) |
Commerce concurred with this recommendation. Commerce officials provided examples from bureaus and offices that transition funding to supporting transition was identified. However, as of January 2024, it did not provide evidence that the Chief Information Officer identified the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition; justified requests for resources related to transition program management staff; conducted an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort; and analyzed training needs for staff assisting with the transition. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of Commerce | The Secretary of Commerce should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer takes into account the agency's telecommunications transition risks, mission critical systems, and contingency plans in Commerce's transition time line. (Recommendation 5) |
Commerce concurred with this recommendation. Commerce officials provided examples from bureaus and offices that the bureaus and offices take into account the agency's telecommunications transition risks, mission critical systems, and contingency plans in the organizations transition timeline. However, as of January 2024, the department did not provide any supporting evidence. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer develops a policy that requires the agency's components to maintain an inventory of the telecommunications assets and services that they acquire independently from headquarters; updates the telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at HHS, and updates the agency's process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. (Recommendation 6) |
In response to our recommendation, in January 2020, HHS developed a policy that requires the agency's operating divisions to maintain an inventory of the telecommunications assets and services that they acquire independently from headquarters. In February 2021, the agency also provided its telecommunications inventory as of November 2020. Additionally, in January 2024, the department also demonstrated that its inventory included assets and services that were associated with commercial contracts not managed by GSA. However, HHS has not yet provided documentation demonstrating that it has updated its process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. HHS stated that its estimated completion date for addressing this recommendation is September 30, 2024. We will continue to monitor the agency's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services; and aligns HHS's telecommunications needs with its long-term IT plans. (Recommendation 7) |
In January 2023, HHS provided documentation demonstrating that it had aligned the department's telecommunication needs with its long-term IT plans. However, HHS has not yet provided documentation demonstrating that it has completed efforts to identify future telecommunication needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services. HHS stated that it is estimated to complete this by September 30, 2024. We will continue to follow-up on the agency's efforts to address it.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies and documents telecommunications transition roles and responsibilities related to (1) managing assets and human capital during the planning and execution phases of the transition and (2) providing legal expertise during the execution phase of the transition, and assigns the transition information security management role to a staff member; and establishes and implements configuration and change management processes for HHS's transition. (Recommendation 8) |
In January 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstrated that it had developed a transition communications plan and identified roles and responsibilities related to legal expertise and the management of assets and human capital. In particular, the department had established an integrated program team to coordinate all of the agency's telecommunications transition activities and assigned two legal counsel to support the EIS transition. In addition, HHS stated that the EIS program management office has collaborated with the Office of Information Security in reviewing and providing input into the agency's EIS solicitation. Further, HHS established a governance branch under HHS's EIS program management office that is to implement change and configuration management processes to support the EIS transition. By taking these actions, the agency is better able to ensure that staff with transition responsibilities have a comprehensive understanding, accountability, and shared expectations for the transition. Further, the agency's use of configuration and change management processes for the transition should help to minimize the possibility of disruptions to the continuity of the agency's telecommunications systems.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies all of the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition at each of the agency's components, justifies requests for transition resources related to hardware and software upgrades, conducts an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort, and analyzes training needs for staff assisting with the transition. (Recommendation 9) |
In June 2023, HHS provided documentation supporting that the agency's Chief Information Officer identified all of the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition at each of the agency's components and justified requests for transition resources related to hardware and software upgrades. Additionally, in March 2024, the department demonstrated that it had conducted an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort and analyzed training needs for staff assisting with the transition. As a result, HHS is better able to ensure that sufficient resources--including both funding and staff--will be available when needed during the transition.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify telecommunications transition measures of success that can be used to assess transition progress; and takes into account all of the agency's components, as well as its mission critical systems, contingency plans,and telecommunications transition risks, in HHS's transition time line. (Recommendation 10) |
In January 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demonstrated that it had completed efforts to identify telecommunications transition measures of success that can be used to assess its transition progress. It also provided evidence that it had taken into account the agency's components, as well as its mission critical systems, contingency plans, and telecommunications transition risks, in the department's transition timeline. Specifically, the Chief Information Officer established an EIS program management office (PMO) to track and report all aspects of the transition. The PMO also maintains a risk register to manage risks and mitigation strategies and collaborates with the Transition Managers of each operating division to identify mission critical system impacts, among other things. By taking these actions, HHS should be better prepared to mitigate risks related to its mission-critical priorities, which should help to minimize any delays or problems that may result if such risks occur.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer updates the telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at the agency, and updates State's process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. (Recommendation 11) |
In April 2023, the Department of State (State) provided documentation demonstrating that it had updated its telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at the agency, including for its domestic environment. The department also provided documentation demonstrating that it had established a process for ongoing maintenance of this inventory. By updating its telecommunications inventory, State is better positioned to determine areas for optimization and sharing of telecommunications resources across the department. In addition, by establishing an ongoing maintenance process for the inventory, State is better able to ensure that it consistently and accurately incorporates into its inventory any changes that it makes during and after its transition to new telecommunications contracts.
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| Department of State | he Secretary of State should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify the agency's future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services; conducts and documents a strategic analysis to justify the sharing of telecommunications resources; and aligns State's telecommunications needs with its long-term IT plans and enterprise architecture. (Recommendation 12) |
The Department of State (State) concurred with this recommendation. In January 2023, State officials stated that they have implemented the recommendation. In April 2023, the department demonstrated that it completed efforts to identify the agency's future telecommunications needs and incorporated those needs into its transition planning. Additionally, as of August 2024, it demonstrated that it conducted and documented a strategic analysis to justify the sharing of telecommunications resources and that its telecommunications needs are aligned with its long-term IT plans. By taking these actions, the department is better positioned to take full advantage of the transition as an opportunity to optimize its telecommunications services and is better able to ensure that its transition decisions are aligned with its long-term goals.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies telecommunications transition roles and responsibilities related to (1) managing assets during the planning and execution phases of the transition and (2) providing legal expertise during the execution phase of the transition, and finalizes the responsibilities related to the information security management role for the transition; includes in State's transition communications plan the frequency with which transition status updates and meetings will occur throughout the transition, a description of how changes and disruptions related to the transition will be communicated to end-users, and the key local and regional agency transition officials responsible for disseminating information about the transition to employees and working with the vendor to facilitate transition activities; and establishes configuration management processes for the agency's transition. (Recommendation 13) |
The Department of State (State) developed a transition communications plan and identified roles and responsibilities related to legal expertise and the management of assets and human capital. In April 2023, the department also provided evidence that it finalized the responsibilities related to the information security management role for the transition and that it is using configuration and change management processes for the transition, as we recommended. By taking these actions, the agency is better able to ensure that staff with transition responsibilities have a comprehensive understanding, accountability, and shared expectations for the transition. Further, the agency's use of configuration and change management processes for the transition should help to minimize the possibility of disruptions to the continuity of the agency's telecommunications systems.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies all of the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition, justifies requests for resources related to transition program management staff, conducts an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort, and finalizes its analysis of training needs for staff assisting with the transition. (Recommendation 14) |
The Department of State (State) concurred with this recommendation. In January 2023, State officials stated that they have implemented the recommendation. In April 2023, the department demonstrated that it finalized its analysis of training needs for staff assisting with the transition. Additionally, as of August 2024, it demonstrated that it identified the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition, justified requests for resources related to transition program management staff, and identified staff resources needed for the entire transition effort. By identifying its complete transition funding requirements and staffing needs, the department should be better able to ensure that sufficient resources are available when needed during the transition.
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| Department of State | The Secretary of State should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer takes into account the agency's telecommunications transition risks, mission critical systems, and contingency plans in State's transition time line. (Recommendation 15) |
The Department of State (State) concurred with this recommendation. In January 2023, State officials stated that they have implemented the recommendation. In April 2023, the department demonstrated that it had taken into account the agency's mission critical systems into its transition timeline. Additionally, as of July 2024, it demonstrated that it had also taken into account the agency's telecommunications risk and contingency plans in the department's transition timeline. By taking these actions, the department should be better prepared to mitigate risks related to its mission-critical priorities, which should help to minimize any delays or problems that may result if such risks occur.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer updates the telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at the agency, and updates and finalizes VA's process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. (Recommendation 16) |
VA concurred with this recommendation. In June 2022, VA officials stated that they have efforts underway to implement the recommendation. Specifically, its full inventory transition for the telecommunications services will be complete by May 31, 2024. As of September 2024, the department has not provided supporting documentation that it has addressed this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to address it.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services, and determines and documents that VA's telecommunications needs are aligned with its long-term IT plans. (Recommendation 17) |
VA concurred with this recommendation. In June 2022, VA officials stated that they have efforts underway to implement the recommendation and plan to implement the recommendation by May 31, 2024. As of September 2024, the department has not provided supporting documentation that it has addressed this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to address it.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer includes in its telecommunications transition communications plan the key local and regional agency officials responsible for disseminating information about the transition to employees and working with the vendor to facilitate transition activities; and establishes and uses cost and schedule management processes in the agency's transition. (Recommendation 18) |
VA concurred with this recommendation. In June 2022, VA officials stated that they have efforts underway to implement the recommendation and plan to implement the recommendation by May 31, 2024. As of September 2024, the department has not provided supporting documentation that it has addressed this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to address it.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies and documents all of the funding needed to support the telecommunications transition, including costs for all years of transition planning support; justifies requests for transition resources related to program management staff; conducts an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort; and analyzes training needs for staff assisting with the transition. (Recommendation 19) |
VA concurred with this recommendation. In June 2022, VA officials stated that they have efforts underway to implement the recommendation and plan to implement by May 31, 2024. As of September 2024, the department has not provided supporting documentation that it has addressed this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to address it.
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify telecommunications transition measures of success that can be used to assess transition progress; and takes into account the agency's telecommunications transition risks, mission critical systems, and contingency plans in VA's transition time line. (Recommendation 20) |
VA concurred with this recommendation. In June 2022, VA officials stated that they have efforts underway to implement the recommendation and plan to implement by May 31, 2024. As of September 2024, the department has not provided supporting documentation that it has addressed this recommendation. We will continue to follow-up on the department's efforts to address it.
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| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer updates the telecommunications inventory to include all telecommunications assets and services in use at the agency, and updates NASA's process for ongoing maintenance of the inventory to include the complete inventory. (Recommendation 21) |
In January 2021, NASA provided a telecommunications inventory that included the enterprise-wide assets and services in use at the agency. In addition, in April 2022, the agency provided a summary of its circuit inventory. However, it was unclear whether this inventory included all of the unique assets and services ordered by individual mission centers. Further, as of August 2024, NASA has not provided documentation of the processes used to maintain an inventory of assets and services ordered by individual mission centers. We will continue to follow-up on the agency's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer completes efforts to identify the agency's future telecommunications needs using a complete inventory of existing telecommunications services. (Recommendation 22) |
As of August 2024, NASA has not provided a complete inventory of its telecommunications assets and services, including the unique assets and services that individual mission centers order for their own use. The agency has also not yet demonstrated that it has used such a complete inventory to identify the agency's future telecommunications needs. We will continue to follow-up on the agency's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer identifies telecommunications transition roles and responsibilities related to (1) managing human capital during the planning and execution phases of the transition and (2) providing legal expertise during the execution phase of the transition. (Recommendation 23) |
In September 2023, NASA provided documentation demonstrating that it had identified a transition role and responsibilities for providing legal expertise during the transition. In addition, the agency defined and assigned certain transition human capital management responsibilities to its Lead Transition Manager, including responsibility for identifying staffing requirements for the transition. By identifying these roles and responsibilities and assigning them to staff, the agency should be better positioned to plan for and address any staffing and legal concerns that may arise during the transition.
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| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer conducts an analysis to support the anticipated cost savings identified as part of the agency's justification for its resource requests related to hardware and software upgrades for the telecommunications transition, and justifies its resource requests for transition program management staff; conducts an analysis to identify staff resources needed for the entire transition effort; and analyzes training needs for staff assisting with the transition. (Recommendation 24) |
NASA concurred with this recommendation. In April 2022, NASA officials provided documentation demonstrating that the agency had analyzed certain telecommunications costs and identified expected cost savings related to part of its transition effort. However, this partial analysis did not support the anticipated cost savings that NASA previously identified for the entire transition. In addition, in September 2023, NASA provided a written response describing the planned training curriculum for contractor staff assisting with the transition. However, the agency did not provide supporting documentation of this curriculum. It was also unclear whether the agency had analyzed the training needs for government staff assisting with the transition. Further, as of August 2024, NASA has not yet demonstrated that it has addressed the other aspects of this recommendation, including justifying its resource requests for transition program management staff and identifying staff resources needed for the entire transition effort. We will continue to follow-up on the agency's efforts to implement the recommendation.
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| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration should ensure that the agency's Chief Information Officer takes into account the agency's mission critical systems and contingency plans in NASA's telecommunications transition time line. (Recommendation 25) |
In September 2023, NASA provided documentation demonstrating that it had taken the agency's mission critical systems and contingency plans into account in its telecommunications transition time line. For example, in response to a risk that the agency would not complete the transition by GSA's deadline, NASA developed a contingency plan that included implementing an alternative approach in order to accelerate its transition. The agency then incorporated this contingency plan and approach into its transition time line. By incorporating the agency's mission critical systems and contingency plans into its transition time line, the agency should be better prepared to address risks to its mission critical priorities and to track its progress toward completing the transition.
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