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 2002-03-06 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:GAO-02-498T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T P0b002ee1803722fb f:d02498t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T GAO-02-498T Accountability Competition Service contracts Defense Reform Initiative OMB Circular A-76 Program Testimony A02851

The Department of Defense (DOD) has been at the forefront of federal agencies in using the OMB Circular A-76 process. In 1995, DOD made the process a priority to reduce operating costs and free funds for other priorities. DOD has also augmented the A-76 program with what it terms strategic sourcing--a broader array of reinvention and reengineering options that may not necessarily involve A-76 competitions. The number of positions--at one point 229,000--that DOD planned to study and the time frames for the studies have varied. Current plans are to study approximately 183,000 positions between fiscal years 1997 and 2007. Changes in the inventory of commercial activities and the current administration's sourcing initiatives could change the number of positions studied in the future. However, GAO has not evaluated the extent to which these changes might occur. DOD has faced a number of challenges with its A-76 program that may produce valuable lessons learned for other federal agencies that use the A-76 process. These include: (1) studies took longer than initially projected, (2) costs and resources required for the studies were underestimated, (3) selecting and grouping functions to compete can be difficult, and (4) determining and maintaining reliable estimates of savings were difficult. Federal managers, government workers, and private sector representatives have expressed concern about the A-76 study process. The Commercial Activities Panel is studying and has held public hearings about the policies and procedures, including the A-76 process, and the transfer of commercial activities from government personnel to contractors. The panel, comprised of federal and private sector experts, is required to report its findings and recommendations to Congress by May 2002. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T.htm GAO-02-498T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-498T Testimony GAO-02-498T; Competitive Sourcing: Challenges in Expanding A-76 Governmentwide; Accountability Competition Service contracts Defense Reform Initiative OMB Circular A-76 Program Title 31 Section 501note 31 U.S.C. 501note Public Law 105-270