Questions Continue as to Prices in Contracting for Architectural-Engineering Services Under the Environmental Protection Agency Construction Grants Program

Payments to consulting engineers under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for municipal waste treatment plant construction may comprise about 10 percent of total program costs. In 1975, EPA issued regulations for procurement of architect-engineering (A/E) services which prohibit contracts to firms which base profits on constructions costs, allow fixed-price contracts only when work can be clearly defined, and require grantees to negotiate contract terms with contractors.

In spite of these regulations, contracting problems have continued. EPA does not have the authority to require renegotiation of contracts which contain methods which are now prohibited. EPA and grantees rely mostly on cost data submitted by A/E firms, there is little control over projects by grantees, and the grantees do not have sufficient knowledge to assess costs charged by firms. Review by EPA regional offices is limited and inconsistent; they generally review only contracts of over $100,000, and grantees are not given guidance for reviewing contracts at or below noncompetitive contracts.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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