Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is questioning federal agencies’ progress on implementing recommendations from the U.S. Commission on Wartime Contracting to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse in contingency contracting.

Senators Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Jim Webb (Va.), and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) have sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), asking Comptroller Gene Dodaro to review how Executive Branch agencies have addressed the findings and recommendations of the Commission.

“To better understand the degree to which the Defense Department, State Department, and USAID have responded to the Commission’s work, we request that GAO assess actions taken by the departments in response to the findings,” the Senators wrote.  “We also request that GAO examine why the departments may have failed to implement certain changes in response to the findings or applicable recommendations in the reports.”

A copy of the letter is available HERE, and appears below.


October 18, 2011

The Honorable Gene Dodaro
Comptroller General of the United States
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G. Street, NW
Washington, DC  20548

Dear Mr. Dodaro:

We are writing to request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) review how Executive Branch departments and agencies have addressed the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan (Commission).   

Since releasing its second interim report in February 2011, the Commission has issued three reports.  On March 1, 2011 the Commission issued Special Report 4:  Iraq – A Forgotten Mission?, and on June 3, 2011, the Commission issued Special Report 5:  Sustainability:  Hidden Costs Risk New Waste.  On August 31, 2011, the Commission issued its final report to Congress, entitled Transforming Wartime Contracting:  Controlling Costs, Reducing Risks.  

In these reports, the Commission found a number of systemic failures in contingency contract planning, execution, and oversight within government.  The Commission also made recommendations to address needed structural changes within departments and agencies as well as procedural changes to contracting practices throughout government.     

To better understand the degree to which the Defense Department, State Department, and USAID have responded to the Commission’s work, we request that GAO assess actions taken by the departments in response to the findings and applicable recommendations in the three above referenced Commission reports.   We also request that GAO examine why the departments may have failed to implement certain changes in response to the findings or applicable recommendations in the reports and assess the efficacy of any alternative approaches adopted by each agency.
 
Please have your staff contact Alan Kahn with the Senator McCaskill’s staff at (202) 224-3230 or Brad Bowman with Senator Ayotte’s staff at brad_bowman@ayotte.senate.gov, with any questions.  

Sincerely,

Claire McCaskill
Jim Webb
Kelly Ayotte

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