{"product_id":"federal-contracting-u-s-government-accountability-office-9781289048532","title":"Federal Contracting: Cost-Effective Contract Management Requires Sustained Commitment: T-Rced-93-2","description":"GAO discussed civilian agency contracting practices and steps which could be taken to improve contractor management and oversight. GAO noted that: (1) civil agency contracting problems included agency reliance on contractors to carry out agency missions, ineffective contract administration, insufficient contract auditing oversight, and a lack of high-level management attention to contract management; (2) civilian agencies increased reliance on contractors to perform specialized program tasks and functions; (3) from 1979 to 1991, civilian agency contracting increased in value from $23 billion to $55 billion; (4) there were concerns about whether the extensive use of contractors to support government operations was more cost-effective than performing duties in-house, whether civil agencies have become overreliant on contractors, and whether civilian agencies are using contractors to formulate policy; (5) steps to ensure better contract management and administration included providing adequate contract work descriptions, independent government cost estimates, effective contractor performance and cost oversight, and incentives for good contractor performance; (6) agencies needed to clarify audit responsibilities, reduce audit backlogs, delineate unallowable and questionable costs, and establish guidelines regarding contractor discounts and voluntary management reductions; and (7) agency cultural changes were needed to emphasize contract management, including increased high level management attention, immediate and long-term commitment to contract management, and adequate information systems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e U. S. Government Accountability Office (\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1289048533\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781289048532\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Bibliogov\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/27\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 30\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.16lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.69h x 7.44w x 0.06d","brand":"U. S. Government Accountability Office (","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48873004204287,"sku":"9781289048532","price":15.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/federal-contracting-u-s-government-accountability-office-9781289048532","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}