GAO Decision Confirms GSA Labor Category Descriptions Matter
A recent protest decision published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a must-read for any federal contracting officer purchasing professional services off the GSA Schedules.
Posts Tagged: GAO
Managing Government Funds
As kids we were beyond ecstatic when we heard that extra change jingling around in our piggy banks. We may have used the extra cash to treat ourselves, but the main goal was to keep as much money in the piggy bank as we could, for as long as possible. Unfortunately, government doesn’t function inRead… Read more »
Using Performance Info to Make Decisions
Washington breathed a collective sigh of relief when a government shutdown was averted on September 30th. But that news overshadowed the quiet release of a GAO report on the government’s progress on using performance information to make better decisions. The Government Accountability Office is mandated by law to track the progress of agencies’ implementation ofRead… Read more »
Keeping Up Employee Morale
It’s no new news. Employee engagement and employee morale in government are at an all time low. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report quantifies a drop in what is known as the employee engagement index (EEI). According to the report, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM’s) index dropped from 67 percent in 2011 toRead… Read more »
“What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”
Do self confident, optimistic leaders ask this question often enough, at the right time? Risk experts Doug Webster and Tom Stanton think not. Writing in a new report for the IBM Center for The Business of Government, they observe: “The front pages of national newspapers constantly report on actions by private companies, federal leaders, orRead… Read more »
The Government’s A Joker
According the Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s recently released “Annual Report 2015: Additional Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication, and Achieve Other Financial Benefits”, the government’s a joker. It’s trying to juggle a million different programs, but it can’t quite keep them all under control. Nicky Clowers, Director of Financial Markets and Community Investment IssuesRead… Read more »
Doppelgangers In Government Management
Bad news, your evil twin is out to get you. Your doppelganger is popping up where you least expect her or him, taking your job responsibilities, and making all of your hard work redundant. What are you going to do about it? Call the Government Accountability Office, of course. The GAO recently released a reportRead… Read more »
Can IGs Successfully Walk a Tightrope?
By law, agency inspectors general are given a great deal of independence from pressures from both their agencies and Congress. But to be effective, they need to develop positive relationships with both. Some are more effective than others. What makes the difference? In January 2015, Michael Horowitz, chair of the cross-agency Council of Inspectors GeneralRead… Read more »
Keeping It Proper With Medicaid Payments
In yesterday’s DorobekINSIDER, we covered the cybersecurity insider threat for federal agencies – including the insider threat that’s accidental. Likewise, government funded healthcare services have their own brand of accidental insider threats – more commonly known as improper payments. A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) called out states for their IT systemsRead… Read more »
I Wish My Boss Were Meaner
It can be nice to have a boss that’s easily pleased. If we’re late; if we miss deadlines; if we don’t push ourselves to put forth our best work, we can still manage to get good ratings on our performance reviews. But in reality, this type of practice can be detrimental for efficiency and productivity,Read… Read more »