GAO News 
Top News
- IRS to pay $70M in bonuses, Grassley says
- Small companies won't feel effect of lowered contractor pay cap
- Senators push Tangherlini for assurances GSA is improving
- As VA works to eliminate one backlog, one more might emerge
- BRAC-like commission proposed to hunt down government cost savings
- Sequestration claims another conference: DHS's GFirst cyber event
- Postal Service closing Capitol Hill post offices in 'symbolic' move
- Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet
- Fed pens new furlough song
- Web guru Dorris brings new life to government websites
- EPA CIO Jackson returning to private sector
- Navy strikes enterprise licensing deal with Oracle
- Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
- NSA leak case gives vendors reason to reevaluate personnel
- 8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
- Whistleblower suit leads to $12M false claims settlement by SAIC
Federal pay statistics are easily manipulated, GAO reports
The Government Accountability Office looked at six studies about federal pay and found that the different approaches taken in each made their findings potentially problematic.
Government accountants issue advice to Treasury to help clean up its books
After a year-long study, the Association of Government Accountants issued a report suggesting a dozen changes and steps that would improve how the U.S. Treasury Department tracks government-wide revenue, spending and the federal deficit.
DoD needs to consolidate data centers to become more efficient
A Congressional Research Service report found DoD accounts for 63 percent of energy consumption in the U.S. The White House's move to consolidate data centers could save at least $3 billion by 2015.
FERC goes back to Congress again for more cyber oversight
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it needs authority to enforce cybersecurity standards. The agency also wants Congress to expand its jurisdiction over electric grid operators.
GAO: Special hiring authority not a free pass
A Government Accountability Office report found the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency need to do a better job managing their employees under Title 42.
Agencies face 'hodge-podge' guidance on security clearances
The federal government has issued more than 4.8 million security clearances to federal civilians, military service members and contractors. But the process for determining what positions require clearances amounts to little more than a "hodge-podge" across agencies, an official with the Government Accountability Office told Federal News Radio.
7 agencies make progress on implementing 'cloud first,' GAO says
The Government Accountability Office assessed the performance of seven federal agencies in migrating some of their services to the cloud as required by the Office of Management and Budget. Five of the seven agencies succeeded in meeting OMB's requirements and the other two are expected to be compliant by year's end.
BRAC cost 67 percent more than DoD's original estimates, GAO finds
The BRAC Commission of 2005 had estimated one- time costs would be $21 billion. The actual cost was $35.1 billion. In contrast, DoD spent $25 billion for the four previous BRAC rounds combined, GAO said.
GAO dismisses protest over huge TRICARE contract
The Government Accountability Office has turned back a protest over a multibillion dollar contract to administer part of the military's TRICARE health insurance system, the losing bidder said Monday. The Comptroller General's decision was not publicly released as of Monday afternoon, but TriWest officials said they had been notified of the rejection.
GAO: Faulty system lists rat-infested federal buildings in excellent condition
The administration has set steep goals in slashing the number of excess federal properties and the costs associated with operating them. But the main resource for tracking federal properties is plagued by unsound data collection efforts, inconsistent standards and inaccuracies, according to a new Government Accountability Office review.
GAO gives Congress a hand for using data to make decisions
The 34-page guideline details how lawmakers can use performance information to ensure agencies are meeting their missions.
GSA considers alternatives to track contractors
For decades, the General Services Administration has contracted with the company Dun & Bradstreet to provide unique identifying numbers for businesses. These numbers — called Data Universal Numbering System or DUNS numbers — allow GSA to track contractors and other recipients of federal funds. But the cost of using this service has grown from $1 million in 2002 to about $19 million per year under the current contract.
Federal Drive interviews -- June 19
Avinash Kar of the Natural Resources Defense Council discusses an FDA decision on cattle feeding processes. Attorney Joseph Petrillo offers his perspective on burgeoning bid protests. GAO's Bill Woods talks about GSA's reliance on "dun" numbers. Jamison Cush discusses Microsoft's new tablet device. Charles Scoville works with amputee veterans.
GAO: Feds lose $80M looking for Medicaid fraud
Private contractors received $102 million to review Medicaid fraud data, yet had only found about $20 million in overpayments since 2008, according to a new report by the federal government.
GAO: Feds lose $80M looking for Medicaid fraud
Private contractors received $102 million to review Medicaid fraud data, yet had only found about $20 million in overpayments since 2008, according to a new report by the federal government.
Assessing acquisition rules a full-time pursuit
Rules and regulations are supposed to help the government make the smartest, fairest purchases are often complex. For Bill Woods, director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management Issues at the Government Accountability Office, federal procurement rules are a full-time pursuit.
GAO helps agencies make most of acquisition process
The Government Accountability Office is one of the government's most robust watchdogs, especially when it comes to acquisition. Bill Anderson, GAO's controller and administrative services officer, discussed the ways GAO helps agencies get the most out of the acquisition process.
Federal Drive interviews -- May 31
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell discusses today's House hearing considering a proposal to reign in the Internet. Yvonne Jones of the Government Accountability Office explains why agencies are falling short in hiring more workers with disabilities.
Senators call for GSA chief to look at PBS structure
In a letter to Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini, a bipartisan group of senators called for an evaluation of the structure of GSA's Public Buildings Service, tying it to the wasteful spending of the Las Vegas scandal.
Reports indicate federal workers' comp long overdue for update
The federal workers' compensation program has long targeted by agency inspectors general, who have cited the program's lack of oversight and susceptibility to improper payments Some members of Congress also argue the program's benefit structure, which hasn't been meaningfully updated since the mid-1970s, has led to widespread inefficiencies.
