FederalDaily - January 17, 2006

GAO Offers Early Retirement

On Jan. 9 Comptroller General David Walker, head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO), announced the agency’s strategies for coping with a reduced funding level for fiscal year 2006—including offering eligible staff members an opportunity to retire early. Applications to take early retirement will be accepted through Feb. 17, with retirements effective no later than March 17. To be eligible for early retirement, employees must meet certain requirements: be on GAO’s rolls continuously since Dec. 9 in a permanent appointment; not be under a pending notice of involuntary separation for misconduct or unacceptable performance; and be at least 50 years old with at least 20 years of service or any age with 25 years of service by the effective date of retirement. Details on this voluntary early retirement opportunity can be found on GAO’s intranet at http://weblogs.gao.gov/notices/archives/Vera_Memo_06.pdf.

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Federal IT Outsourcing Market to Increase

Input, of Reston, Va., released a report on Jan. 12 predicting that the federal IT outsourcing market will increase at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 8 percent, growing from $12.2 billion in fiscal year 2005 to $17.6 billion by fiscal year 2010. “INPUT expects the federal IT outsourcing to remain one of the healthiest federal markets,” said Chris Campbell, senior analyst, federal market analysis for INPUT. He added, “Most often, outsourcing is prompted by the need to supplement internal technical resources, reduce costs, infuse new technology, or standardize and streamline operations.” According to Input, the Office of Management and Budget’s Lines of Business initiatives are compelling agencies to spend on IT outsourcing.

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Government Finds Fraud in Hurricane Recovery

Federal monitoring of the $60 billion Gulf Coast recovery effort has led to dozens of arrests for fraud and other alleged crimes, the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) found in a new report. The report was requested by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Its findings include:

• Federal inspectors general (IGs) have committed 431 full-time personnel to Gulf Coast recovery.
• To date, the IGs have completed 11 reviews and initiated more than 70.
• As of Dec. 2, the PCIE has reported a total of 230 investigative cases opened; 36 arrests have been made with 44 indictments and three convictions.
• Some IG reviews of transactions under the government’s purchase card program have been completed, but others are still underway. For example the Department of Homeland Security has examined 19 percent of its more than $22 million purchase card transactions.

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Senator Questions Dismissal of NGA Director

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, last week expressed concern over the removal of Gen. James R. Clapper Jr. from his position as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Mikulski called for the committee to hold investigative hearings into the circumstances surrounding the removal. In a Jan. 12 letter to the committee’s chairman and vice chairman, Mikulski questioned Department of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s motives for the dismissal. “I am especially troubled by reports that Secretary Rumsfeld’s decision was in retaliation for Gen. Clapper’s 2004 testimony to the Congress regarding NGA’s relationship to the Department of Defense,” stated Mikulski’s letter.

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