United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-06-30 monographic deposited born digital 32 p. GA 1.13:GGD-00-147 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147 P0b002ee1803840a6 f:gg00147 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147 GGD-00-147 Program graduation Financial analysis Research reports Competitive advantage Electronic publishing Government information dissemination Private sector Statutory law NTIS World News Connection World Wide Web GPO Depository Library Program Federal Employees Retirement System Civil Service Retirement System Letter Report GGD

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the National Technical Information Service's (NTIS) financial position, focusing on whether: (1) NTIS can continue to be self-sufficient and, if not, what issues need to be addressed; and (2) NTIS' World News Connection's (WNC) online foreign news service exceeds NTIS' statutory authority to the detriment of private firms offering similar news services.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) NTIS may be able to remain self-sufficient for a few years, but its solvency beyond fiscal year (FY) 2003 remains in doubt; (2) solvency for a few years may be possible because the Department of Commerce and NTIS officials acted in FY 1999 to reduce costs when it appeared there would not be sufficient funds to operate; (3) for example, Commerce officials transferred 45 NTIS employees to other agencies within the department; (4) these actions allowed NTIS to report a $600,000 profit in FY 1999, and NTIS officials project an estimated $1 million in profit for FY 2000; (5) however, NTIS' solvency beyond FY 2003 is in doubt based on GAO's forecast of NTIS' revenues and costs that suggests that losses will begin in FY 2001 and continue; (6) if these losses are realized, retained earnings from previous years' operations could be absorbed, and NTIS could run out of operating funds after FY 2003; (7) however, if any of three events not included in GAO's financial analysis occur, they could cause financial reversals that would threaten NTIS' self-sufficiency before FY 2003; (8) the 5-year decline in NTIS' revenues from selling reports may accelerate, as larger segments of the public gain access to the World Wide Web and as more agencies make their research reports available for free over the Web; (9) NTIS' costs may increase faster than accounted for in GAO's financial analysis because NTIS officials say they have nearly exhausted their plans to reduce costs; (10) the fees that federal agencies pay NTIS for various brokerage and Web services may begin to decline rapidly if agencies decide to obtain those services elsewhere because of an announced plan to close NTIS or for other reasons; (11) because of NTIS' precarious financial position, policymakers may want to address the question of whether the government still needs NTIS (or another agency) to serve as a permanent repository and disseminator for research reports; (12) to help in this reassessment, congressional committees could benefit from the annual financial and operational reports on NTIS that Commerce is required to submit to Congress but has not submitted since FY 1995; (13) WNC's foreign news service falls within NTIS' statutory mission to disseminate technical information; and (14) nevertheless, WNC's service may have a detrimental impact on private sector firms that offer similar electronic news services because NTIS does not pay to obtain or translate the foreign news, or pay taxes as private firms do. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147/html/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147.pdf GAO/GGD-00-147 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GGD-00-147 Letter Report GAO/GGD-00-147; Information Policy: NTIS' Financial Position Provides an; Program graduation Financial analysis Research reports Competitive advantage Electronic publishing Government information dissemination Private sector Statutory law NTIS World News Connection World Wide Web GPO Depository Library Program Federal Employees Retirement System Civil Service Retirement System Title 15 Section 1152 Title 15 Section 1153 15 U.S.C. 1152 15 U.S.C. 1153 Title 42 Section 410 42 U.S.C. 410 Public Law 91-345 Public Law 100-519 Public Law 102-395 S. Rept. 106-76