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GAO, OMB spar over whether to measure data center cost savings

Government auditors told House Oversight and Government Affairs members that saving money from closing more than 1,000 data centers needs to be metric. OMB said optimization of core data centers is a more important measure than straight cost savings.

Tags: technology , data center consolidation , OMB , David Powner , House Oversight and Government Reform Committee , Bernie Mazer , Interior , GSA , PortfolioStat , Jason Miller

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Will sequestration, retirement wave derail OPM's backlog goal

The Office of Personnel Management has made steady progress chipping away at a longstanding backlog of retirement claims. But Oversight Committee lawmakers and other government watchdogs remain concerned that the absence of a long-term plan to overhaul the mostly paper-based process combined with across-the-board budget cuts and a lack of strong leadership within OPM could stall or derail the progress the agency has made.

Tags: OPM , OPM backlog , retirement , Ken Zawodny , sequestration , Joseph Beaudoin , NARFE , Valerie Melvin , Patrick McFarland , improper payments , Jack Moore

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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.

Tags: Danny Werfel , Tom Carper , real property , federal real property

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Historic buildings throw wrench in agencies real-property efforts

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office found tighter budgets in recent years have constrained agencies' ability to maintain and repair historic buildings and that poor data practices have led to inconsistent and erroneous information on a database designed to track federal properties.

Tags: historic preservation , real property , GSA , VA , NPS , management

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Lawmakers take on legislative process in fight against duplicative programs

Two senators from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee want to change Senate rules in an attempt to make sure new federal programs or initiatives in proposed legislation don't overlap with existing efforts. Earlier this month, two House members introduced a measure that would require House committees of jurisdiction to hold oversight hearings on an annual report from the Government Accountability Office detailing government duplication.

Tags: budget , oversight , Congress , House , Senate , Tom Coburn , Gary Peters , Cory Gardner , duplication , Jack Moore

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Federal Drive Show Blog - April 10, 2013

We continue our weeklong series, Rise of the Money People, by interviewing GAO Chief Accountant Bob Dacey about fuzzy federal agency budget sheets and Tim Lawler, director of the grants management practice at Grant Thornton, about fine-tuning the grants process.

Tags: The Hill , Bob Cusack , Bob Dacey , Tim Lawler , Grant Thornton , 2014 budget , Federal Drive , Tom Temin , Emily Kopp

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Does a bad audit really affect agency operations?

Bob Dacey, the chief accountant at the Government Accountability Office, helps Federal News Radio answer this question as part of our special report, Rise of the Money People.

Tags: Bob Dacey , financial management , audits , Rise of the Money People , Federal Drive

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Redundant agency programs wasting billions of dollars

From catfish inspections to military uniforms, redundancy problems within government agencies span virtually every major department and agency across government, according to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. The latest report from Dodaro's Government Accountability Office brings the number of redundant or inefficient mission areas within agencies to 162.

Tags: duplication , Jared Serbu , Congress , management

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Federal Drive Interviews -- April 9, 2013

We continue our weeklong series, Rise of the Money People, by interviewing Dorothy Robyn, commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at GSA. Dr. James Kelly, a neurologist and director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the campus of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. discusses a treatment plan for traumatic brain injuries. Steve Ressler, founder and president of GovLoop, joins the Federal Drive to offer a peek at what's in the "Getting Into Government: A Guide for High Achievers." Employment lawyer Lynne Bernabei provides a closer look at Question 21 in Legal Loop. Michelle Sager, director of strategic issues at GAO, talks about the new report on the sale of political intelligence concerning the Stock Act.

Tags: Dorothy Robyn , Steve Ressler , Lynne Bernabei , Dr. James Kelly , Michelle Sager , Govloop , Walter Reed National Medical Center , GSA , Bernabei and Watchel

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Cost-conscious DoD reduces pricetag of big-ticket acquisition programs

The size and cost of the Defense Department's portfolio of major weapons acquisition programs have fallen to their lowest levels in five years, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. DoD's major weapons portfolio decreased by 10 programs in 2012 -- to 86 programs -- while the total cost of DoD's big-ticket procurements fell by $152 billion to $1.6 trillion.

Tags: acquisition , DoD , contracting , In Depth , Francis Rose , Mike Sullivan , Jack Moore ,

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