Recommendation With Respect to a Renewal Option

GAO received a request to modify a recommendation to permit renewal of a contract for on-site laboratory urinalysis (drug detection) services for the District of Columbia Superior Court. Modification was requested because of an error in the original record. Preaward tests performed by the firm were first analyzed by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) and found to be inconclusive. It was on this finding that GAO based its recommendation not to exercise the renewal option on the contract. Later, however, the AFIP analyses were determined to be invalid because of a calibration error. After AFIP retested the samples with the correct calibration, the preaward test results were shown to be within normal tolerances. Thus, the previous concern of GAO is withdrawn. GAO still recommends that the District of Columbia revise the methods utilized to prepare samples for preaward testing to eliminate any appearance of impropriety.