FederalDaily - April 11, 2006

DoD Wastes Money Paying Unearned Incentives

Between fiscal years 1999 and 2003 the Department of Defense (DoD) paid $8 billion in contractor award fees, regardless of whether the contractor fell short of, met or exceeded expectations. That is according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. DoD, the report said, failed to encourage improved contractor performance by:

• failing to relate award fee criteria to actual acquisition outcomes;
• paying significant portions of awards for “acceptable, average or satisfactory” contractor performance; and
• giving multiple opportunities to earn deferred or unearned incentives.

GAO also found that DoD did not compile data or set performance measures to verify that incentive payments improved contractor performance. GAO stressed that DoD needed to improve accountability and transparency for paid incentive fees to ensure better use of resources. The report is available online at www.gao.gov/new.items/d06409t.pdf.

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FBI, Coast Guard Should Get Along

The U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI should settle their dispute over jurisdiction in the event of a terror attack in U.S. waterways, Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., said last Thursday. Fossella sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, calling on both to settle which entity would serve as the lead responder during such an attack. Fossella said a turf battle between the Coast Guard and the FBI could hamper the federal response to a terrorist attack aboard passenger and cargo vessels. Days earlier, a Department of Justice inspector general report revealed that both the FBI and Coast Guard believed they would serve as the lead responder for a water-based attack.

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Protection for National Security Whistleblowers

The House Government Reform Committee unanimously approved enhanced protections for government whistleblowers on April 6. The protections were included in the Executive Branch Reform Act. In particular, the legislation enhances protections for national security whistleblowers by:

• banning the tactic of suspending or revoking security clearances of whistleblowers;
• giving employees of intelligence agencies opportunities to seek jury trials in cases of retaliation; and
• legalizing whistleblowing of classified information to authorized congressmen.

The vote was applauded by the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a government whistleblower interest group, in a press release. “This vote is a historic bipartisan mandate to end third-class legal status for whistleblowers in national security agencies,” said Tom Devine, legal director of GAP.

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GAO Examines Military Disability Benefits

isability benefits for military personnel are fairly even with such benefits for other high risk employment categories, according to data compiled in a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) study. GAO looked at how military disability benefits measured up against those for police, firefighters and other public safety officers (PSOs) at the federal, state and local levels. Military benefits rated higher or lower depending on the type or severity of the disability. For instance, military benefits for leg amputations fell just below levels for federal and New Jersey-based PSOs, but measured equal to or greater than other states. GAO did not provide an opinion or recommendation on its study results, but said that, overall, military benefits did not vary significantly from benefits for comparable jobs. The full report can be viewed at www.gao.gov/new.items/d064.pdf.

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