The "Accountability in Contracting Act": A Good First Start

For years, POGO has documented the unbridled public policy disaster of government contracting in the era of “acquisition reform.”   Simply put, “acquisition reform” has mostly been about loosening the competition and oversight requirements of the government contracting process in order to “feather the nests” of contractors.  Much of the impetus for acquisition reform came from the large government defense and information technology sector.  However, “acquisition reform” also gained traction as part of the Clinton-era reinventing government program.

The putative stated theory behind all this was that repeal of the “burdensome” competition and oversight requirements applicable to government contracting would get rid of “red tape” and make the process faster and more efficient.  Unfortunately, much of the so-called red tape was basic common-sense good government, including the need to obtain competition in contracts, get cost data, and engage in good old-fashioned hard bargaining and follow-up (i.e., oversight). 

The results of “acquisition reform” are visible everyday in the headlines, from price gouging by Halliburton in Iraq, to the failed U.S. VISIT border security identity contract (pdf), to wasteful sole source contracting by FEMA, to the purchase of the C-130J air cargo transport plane by the Air Force as a “commercial item” until finally changed last year (i.e., no ability of the government to review the contractor’s costs).

Finally, after over a dozen years of fleecing the taxpayer by contractors and their Congressional allies, Chairman Henry Waxman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is to be congratulated for his “Accountability in Contracting Act” (H.R. 1362).  Predictably, the contractor trade associations and the Administration will vigorously oppose the more important provisions of this bill relating to revolving door restrictions and disclosure of contractor overcharges.  However, Chairman  Waxman is off to a fast start in his efforts toward correcting the wasteful government contracting system.

-- "Connie the Contractor"

Comments

[Scott Amey]

It is appauling that industry sources say that the system isn't broken! The McCain-led effort to convert the C-130J from a commercial item to a FAR Part 15 procurement resulted "in institutional net savings of $168 million." Where was the contract adminstration? How was that contract protecting taxpayer dollars?

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123029927