Certain DOE Procurement Practices and the Residential Conservation Service

Testimony was presented concerning a recent GAO report on procurement practices in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy and past efforts to evaluate the implementation of the Residential Conservation Service (RCS). GAO found that the fiscal year (FY) 1983 financial plans for conservation and renewable energy programs were of questionable value because there was no ready way to determine how specific procurement requests and authorizations compared with planned actions. In addition, the Assistant Secretary's office has begun a review process for procurement requests originating within the Office of Building Energy Research and Development, where most delays in authorization of procurement requests have been experienced. As of June 1983, about 94 percent of the Assistant Secretary's FY 1983 total funds had been authorized compared to only 76 percent of the Office of Building Energy Research and Development's funds. Reports and other basic research information may not be available after conducting the research because of delays in obtaining authorization for procurement requests. Furthermore, GAO found that DOE has not fulfilled its RCS program administration and enforcement responsibilities because of limited budgets and inconsistent staffing support. Utilities in states with ongoing RCS programs had widely differing experiences. As of late August 1983, a number of states still did not have approved program plans and the RCS federal standby plan had not been finalized.