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GAO Reports – Federal Acquisitions, TSA Acquisitions

  • Federal Acquisitions: Use of ‘Other Transaction’ Agreements Limited and Mostly for Research and Development Activities, GAO-16-209: Published: Jan 7, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2016: “Federal agencies use a variety of acquisition and financial assistance mechanisms, such as contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, to help meet their missions. Some federal agencies have received authorization to use other transaction agreements, which allow an agency to enter into agreements other than traditional mechanisms, such as contracts. As a result, agencies can customize their other transaction agreements to help meet project requirements and mission needs. As GAO reported in May 2002, this authority carries risks, however, because such agreements may be exempt from the Federal Acquisition Regulation and other requirements that are intended to protect taxpayers’ interests.”
  • TSA Acquisitions: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Efficiency of Screening Technology Test and Evaluation, GAO-16-322T: Published: Jan 7, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2016.: “The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) test and evaluation process has enabled TSA and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to identify passenger and baggage screening technologies that will meet mission needs, but technology failures during testing have contributed to inefficiencies in the acquisition process. Consistent with departmental guidance and acquisition best practices, TSA’s test and evaluation process provides information regarding the ability of technologies to meet mission needs before agency officials decide whether to begin full production, saving the agency from investing in potentially expensive yet ineffective equipment. From June 2010 to July 2015, half of the 22 systems that TSA tested successfully completed qualification and operational testing. TSA procured all but 1 of the 11 successful systems. Technologies that entered the test and evaluation process and were immature required significant modifications and retesting.”

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