Better Information Management Could Alleviate Oversight Problems With the GSA Construction Program

Gao ID: PLRD-82-87 July 9, 1982

GAO was asked to review the General Services Administration's (GSA) Public Buildings Service's ability to provide accurate and timely information on construction.

GAO found that information on project cost, scope, and schedule variances is not routinely provided to congressional committees or GSA top management, nor is it accurate or timely. This lack of information prevents Congress from effectively evaluating progress on approved projects or identifying cost overruns and delays. Extensive manual efforts are required to generate oversight information reports, in spite of the availability of an information system designed to collect the needed data. Further, the GSA information management organization is not structured or properly positioned to effectively resolve such problems or to respond to the needs of program managers. The automated tracking system cannot provide complete and meaningful project performance information, and it does not provide reliable oversight reports because its database contains inaccurate and outdated information. GAO found that: (1) GSA never completed the required post-implementation system review/evaluation to determine whether the system was designed and is functioning properly; (2) the system's integrity and reliability are not maintained because users do not follow the National Bureau of Standards Federal Information Processing Standards; and (3) use of the system is not required, nor do GSA regions adequately support it. The problems in this review are indicative of deeper ones in the overall GSA information resources management.

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.

Director: James G. Mitchell Team: General Accounting Office: Procurement, Logistics, and Readiness Division Phone: (202) 275-8678


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