POGO Concerned DCAA Lacks Resources, Independence to Serve Taxpayer Interests

POGO has issued a statement expressing concern about the lack of resources at the Defense Contract Audit Agency and its ability to serve the taxpayers' interest:

The Project On Government Oversight continues to be concerned about the Defense Contract Audit Agency's (DCAA) ability to effectively oversee Department of Defense's (DoD) contracts. We are particularly troubled by DCAA Director April Stephenson's testimony that despite the concerns raised by last year's Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, DCAA still only has enough funding to perform 65 percent of the audits they are required to complete. This raises questions as to whether the Comptroller's office is properly prioritizing resources and support for this agency. This may be due in part to a conflict of mission between the Comptroller's office and DCAA.

“As the Wartime Contracting Commission’s recent report highlights, the DCAA plays an essential role in detecting waste, fraud, and abuse. But they will only be successful in this mission if they have sufficient independence and resources,” said POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian.

The statement refers to the “Special Report on Contractor Business Systems," released Monday by the Commission on Wartime Contracting. 

-- Bryan Rahija

Comments

[Herman]

April Stephenson needs to go, she is an empty suit just like her mentor William Reed. Trash the little trainees of DCAA, yet no one in DCAA management is ever touched. DCAA is full of management that will never admit a mistake. I am sure all the layers under April want to save their make work jobs, where else could they do so well for so little effort. DCAA is a bloated top heavy bureaucracy.

[Dfens]

DCMA and DCAA are waste, fraud, and abuse. They are the watchdogs that watch the watchdogs. What a joke. Of course, you'll never hear a recommendation from them or the GAO that our federal procurement system stop paying contractors more to screw up, because if they did that, they'd be killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Their jobs would be gone.

All these governemnt leaches goose stepping around trying to pretend they're all about saving the taxpayer money. It makes me sick. All any of you are for is perpetuating your own bureacracy. After all, bureacracies exist to exist.

[Mike]

Contractors 1, Stephenson 0. Contractors won today. Collins, Lieberman, and Coburn did the contractors dirty work today by degrading DCAA. Contractors better hope Stephenson is replaced, otherwise she will come at them harder than ever. It can't get any worse than today for her so what does she have to lose. First up, cap on executive compensation for all contractor employees, not just the top five executives. I heard from a program manager in Policy that Stephenson already submitted the proposed change to DoD for the annual spending bills. Let's hope it passes and let's hope Stephenson stays in place. We need her leadership to get through this tough time.