NCJ Number
96796
Date Published
1984
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This General Accounting Office (GAO) evaluation of the performance of the Department of Justice's contract review committee indicates the need for serveral actions to increase the effectiveness of the commitee's contribution to improving the Justice Department's contracting activities.
Abstract
Justice contracting officials informed GAO that the contract review committee had improved Justice contracts and contracting practices in the following ways: more care taken in preparing contracts, improved compliance with Federal procurement regulations, and more attention to documentation in contract files. The committee's rejection of about 53 percent of the fiscal year 1983 contracts it reviewed showed that despite the committee's efforts since its creation in 1981, problems exist with Justice's contracting practices. GAO discussed fiscal year 1983 deficiencies identified by the committee with the 42 available officials responsible for the contracts GAO reviewed. Of the 273 contract deficiencies identified by the committee, the contracting officials agreed with the committee on about 61 percent, disagreed on about 29 percent, and were undecided on the remaining 10 percent. Their disagreements and concerns resulted from beliefs that the committee misses items in contract files, exceeds its authority, and intrudes on the authority of contracting officials. GAO recommends that the Attorney General direct the committee to make periodic oral presentations of its findings to contracting officials, clarify Justice's policy to delineate the types of contracts that should be submitted to the committee so as to ensure that the committee receives all contracts it should review, and direct the procurement executive to use committee findings when developing strategies for procurement inspections and other oversight functions. The appendixes present a Justice Department orgainzation chart, with specific reference to procurement activities, and a glossary of contract review committee deficiency categories GAO examined. An appendix also discusses implementation of the Prosecutor's Management Information System at the Justice Department.