United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2001-05-22 monographic deposited born digital 14 p. GA 1.13:GAO-01-753T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T P0b002ee18038d5d5 f:d01753t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T GAO-01-753T Contract oversight Personnel management Federal procurement Service contracts Testimony A01045 Federal agencies spend billions of tax dollars each year to buy services ranging from clerical support and consulting services, to information technology services such as network support, to the management and operation of government facilities, such as national laboratories. Last year alone, the federal government acquired more than $87 billion in services--a 24 percent increase in real terms from fiscal year 1990. Some service procurements are not being done efficiently, putting taxpayer dollars at risk. In particular, agencies are not clearly defining their requirements, fully considering alternative solutions, performing vigorous price analyses, and adequately overseeing contractor performance. This testimony (1) describes service contracting trends and the changing acquisition environment, (2) discusses the challenges confronting the government in acquiring services, and (3) highlights some efforts underway to address these challenges. GAO found that (1) purchases of services now account for about 43 percent of federal contracting expenses--the largest single spending category, (2) the growth of services has largely been driven by the government's increased purchases of information technology services and professional, administrative, and management support services, (3) the poor management of service contracts undermines the government's ability to obtain good value for the money spent and continues to be a high-risk area for the two biggest service purchasers, the Departments of Defense and Energy, and (4) performance-based service contracts and stressing the importance of integrating strategic human capital management into agency planning are two ways to address some of the contract management and human capital challenges. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T.pdf GAO-01-753T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-01-753T Testimony GAO-01-753T; Contract Management: Trends and Challenges in Acquiring Services; Contract oversight Personnel management Federal procurement Service contracts Public Law 106-398