The Air Force needs to improve its reviews of contractor work, the Pentagon’s top watchdog said, by ensuring there are complete and well-documented evaluations that can help in determining whether a particular business should be re-hired.
“Federal government source selection officials did not have access to timely, accurate, and complete contractor performance assessment information needed to make informed decisions related to contract awards or other acquisition matters,” said a report from the Inspector General’s Office, made public Monday.
Investigators said that of the 48 performance assessment reports, or PARs, they evaluated – for contracts worth about $2.4 billion – 37 didn’t have a sufficient explanation on why contractors were given a particular rating.
Many contractors were given a rating of “very good,” but investigators said the evaluations “did not describe how the contractor met contractual requirements or a significant event that was a benefit to the government.”
According to the IG, evaluations should include information on the quality of the good or service the contractor provided, the contractor’s cost control and timeliness, its management, and whether it subcontracted to any small businesses.
That ensures that acquisition leaders have access to “current, complete, and accurate information on contractor performance,” the IG said.
Several offices that oversee contracting for the Air Force have already made improvements, investigators said.
In October, the Air Combat Command Acquisition Management Integration Center overhauled its contractor evaluation, requiring officials who fill out the evaluations to take a comprehensive training course within four weeks of joining contracting offices, and refresher training every three years.
There has been some big improvements over the past few years, investigators said. In 2010, ACC AMIC was completing just 35 percent of the PARs on time. In 2015, that was up to 80 percent.
Likewise, the Headquarters for the Space and Missile Systems Center was completing just 12 percent of PARs on time in 2010. Now it’s close to 70 percent.
The issue isn’t isolated to the Air Force. In 2015, the IG found the Navy also was not completing or properly documenting contractor evaluations. And in 2008, investigators noted that the civilian-side acquisition offices at the Pentagon were often late in submitting evaluations.
The IG launched the investigation at the request of the Senate Armed Services Committee to ensure the DoD had “a more complete and useful database of contractor past performance.”
Investigators said it’s important to have evaluations of contractors’ work, and that “documentation is a necessary part of an effective internal control system.”
