Comments on: Major Scandal Brewing at Audit Agency

By: Confused

Confused — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:04:19 +0000

In my office I could give managers 2 million of questioned cost but it would not be reported. The contractors run the audits. The real problem with DCAA is the lack of competence of the supervision.

unless auditor are allowed to evaluate the supervisors and the supervisor’s manager take action on reported problems then nothing will ever change.

I think that it is time that the audits are contracted out to CPA firms who are really independent.

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:30:23 +0000

The problem is, though, that there's generally no solution beyond "just call everything off and don't buy the thing". It's not as though there are dozens and dozens of companies making geosynchronous wideband satcom systems. There are exactly two. If you tell the one contractor to stop work, you can't just go to the other one and be all "I'll take one global protected EHF network system, please, with a side of fries, and make it fast!"PS: Holy crap, guys, 3.5 million overbilled? I bet that's a total of 0.1% of the actual program price. With such egregious waste and malfeasance it's a wonder that anything ever gets done at all. (And I'll bet you ten bucks that this "overbill" was, in fact, someone accounting for revenue in 2007 when the DCAA thought it should have been booked in 2008.)*****Part of the problem, I think, is that DCAA's job is being done by The Aerospace Corporation these days. I mean...what exactly does DCAA add to the process that Aerospace isn't also responsible for? DCAA is a useless appendix at this point, another layer of meaningless "compliance" documentation in a task that's already 75% paperwork shuffling.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:05:28 +0000

I also worked in the DCAA Central region as an auditor, and I can confirm that significant findings for major contractors were required by agency policy to go up the chain for approval, and most frequently were not upheld. The standards applied to the largest contractors are very different from those applied to the smaller ones. In some cases that was by design, and acquisition reform de-fanged the auditors, administrative contracting officers and procurement groups from their ability to negotiate and monitor contract costs particularly at the largest companies. However, the levels of mismanagement at the higher than branch office levels is considerable in the Central region.

By: Radarnav

Radarnav — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:55:52 +0000

The real message here is that all of the Defense Department and the associated Defense Industry is now being considered villains by our Congress.

The Congress has found their new political whipping post, while the country is at war, and our critical military equipment is deteriorating quickly.

Just remember, it was the last Democratic administration and a willing democratic majority in Congress that downsized the military and the IC (Uniformed and civilian)in the 90’s. In any pejorative organizational downsizing, you always loose the “A” team and are left with the careerists, not the mission dedicated personnel.

Any wonders why the Hit just keep on coming?

Solving this lack of experienced and quality personnel will take no less than a Decade, that is if we elect people that see the wisdom of a strong and credible Defense Department!!

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 11:38:19 +0000

I’d like to see where she got her “conservative” estimate of $150 billion in money lost due to DCAA.

By: Denny

Denny — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:19:16 +0000

Worked for DCAA for 30 years, mostly in the Central Region. Over the past few years, current management of DCAA has been on a mission to rid the Agency of competent employees. Ethical, honest, and quality people have been passed over for “yes men and women.” These days all that is required is for employees to satisfy managers who too often have no clue regarding reality. After all, can one be blamed for not wanting to be yelled and demeaned by the Regional Manager. Too many employees have simply resigned, retired, or otherwise moved on. The Ageny is suffering from a lack of experience at all levels and it shows. The GAO finding is simply the tip of the iceberg. Regional managers and their associates direct audits through intimidation. The Agency is run on metrics, which often are not compatible with quality. Sadly, nothing will change with DCAA until the current management staff is replaced. It is truly sad to see what has become of this once proud and competent agency.

By: RascalatHeart

RascalatHeart — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:41:17 +0000

Another know-nothing Congressional blowhard!!!!
Anybody can get on a soapbox and second-guess anybody else. As far as the Director of the DCAA not being in the job when the audits took place, this is similar to Gen Weightman only being on the job at Walter Reed six months and having to take the rap for George Bush ordering the downsizing of the government employees with a resulting mess in maintenance!

By: tripper6

tripper6 — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:54:36 +0000

DCAA auditors supported me on several major acquisitions during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Those auditors were honest, competent and dedicated to providing the best audits and advice possible; I trusted them implicitly. I find it difficult to believe that DCAA may not now be living up to those same standards. Then again, the quality of the acquisition workforce has been in decline for some time. DCAA may have followed suit. If so, it should be dealt with quickly and firmly. Government contracting officers and program managers and their industry counterparts must have confidence in audit findings and the integrity of the auditors.

By: frank

frank — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:01:41 +0000

Having been a contractor, its about time. I worked for Computer Sciences Corporation and they were one of the worst as far as being a corrupt contractor. They ran out of funds 3 months into a contract and had their Pentagon cronies give them the money to keep going. Their management was given 5 figure bonuses for mediocre work. Meanwhile, the worker bees got no raises for years.

Its time there is a major shakeup. This is American taxpayer money that is getting wasted. The worst part is how the military rotates people out of projects, once they get good, there is a new person in charge. More new meat for the contractor.

And waste in contracting is funding that does not get to the troops or buy equipment that works.

By: George

George — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:40:27 +0000

I like Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo. She will have to stand on the Senate floor more than
6 months to get the mess at DCAA. At the present time it appears they work for the contractors and not the Government that pays their salary. The first thing they should do is make rehire the Two auditors who “were replaced” by people who “dropped the findings”.
The two auditors should be made supervisors.

By: ROBERT DUFF

ROBERT DUFF — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:02:13 +0000

SEN. MC CASKILL MAY WISH TO INVESTIGATE WHY THE DOD WILL NOT CONSIDER REPLACING WOODEN PALLETS WITH MORE ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY PLASTIC PALLETS WHICH CAN BE RECYCLED AND REUSED MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN WOODEN PALLETS. SOUNDS PRETTY MUNDANE BUT IT COULD RESULT IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN SAVINGS.
MAYBE WORTH CHECKING INTO.

By: Joseph B. Cryer

Joseph B. Cryer — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:46:56 +0000

I respect all of our elected public officials but Senator McCaskill (D-Missouri) needs to understand the complexities of the matter before sending a letter to Secretary Gates saying “you have another mess on your hands”.

That is simply not fair to the leadership of the Pentagon and in “my opinion” is very condescending.

If she says she will stand on the Senate floor for the next six months, please let me know and I will come to Washington and hold her too it.

She would not last a week and I would put my money on her lasting about two days (maximum) till she wants to get back to her Social Functions.

Day 1: I would have to let her know that she was missing the BIG PARTY at the Kennedy Center.

By: HERD

HERD — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:14:59 +0000

Eliminate it. Save us a few dollars.