United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-04-24 monographic deposited born digital 56 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-96-54 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54 P0b002ee1803763a6 f:ns96054 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54 NSIAD-96-54 Defense contracts Department of Defense contractors Contract monitoring Military research Research and development contracts Subcontracts Research and development facilities Research program management Letter Report NSIAD

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) 11 federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC), focusing on: (1) their funding and staff size; (2) the extent of subcontracted work; (3) their parent organizations; (4) their missions, core competencies, and capabilities; and (5) sponsors' criteria for defining core work and oversight mechanisms and responsibilities.<p/>GAO found that: (1) although funding for FFRDC increased by about 23 percent between fiscal year (FY) 1985 and FY 1990, it has since decreased; (2) in FY 1995, subcontracting totaled 7 percent, or $83 million, of FFRDC total funding; (3) of the eight parent organizations that operate FFRDC, two do not operate organizations outside the FFRDC structure and of the other six, two are universities and four are organizations that have operations outside of the FFRDC structure, but rely on FFRDC for the majority of their revenue; (4) FFRDC missions and core competencies support the diverse research requirements of the sponsor; (5) DOD defines core work as that which is consistent with an FFRDC purpose, mission, and special relationship with the sponsor; (6) FFRDC oversight is conducted at several levels including the DOD primary sponsor, an advisory group, an executive agent, and DOD oversight groups; and (7) the primary FFRDC sponsor must provide guidance on its needs and priorities, approval and oversight of research, and annual and 5-year comprehensive reviews of FFRDC work to ensure quality, efficiency, and appropriateness. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54.pdf GAO/NSIAD-96-54 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-54 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-96-54; Federally Funded R&D Centers: Information on the Size and Scope of DOD-Sponsored Centers; Defense contracts Department of Defense contractors Contract monitoring Military research Research and development contracts Subcontracts Research and development facilities Research program management Title 10 Section 2304 10 U.S.C. 2304