The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to ensure that high-risk contractors reduce the government's vulnerability to contract overpricing, focusing on the: (1) extent to which contractors are correcting significant cost-estimating system deficiencies; (2) actions DOD contracting officers are taking to encourage contractors to improve their cost-estimating systems; and (3) adequacy of DOD controls to ensure that deficiencies are timely corrected. GAO found that: (1) contractors' performance in correcting their significant cost-estimating system deficiencies has been mixed; (2) 11 of 30 high-risk DOD contractors have significant uncorrected deficiencies that have been outstanding an average of 3.8 years; (3) the failure to timely correct estimating deficiencies creates a variety of problems for DOD, including increased costs and delays in contract awards; (4) although DOD contracting officers take various actions to encourage contractors to correct cost-estimating deficiencies, contracting officers do not use the most stringent measures available, such as reducing progress payments or recommending nonaward of future contracts; (5) even when contractors have long-standing estimating system deficiencies, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) does not attempt to determine the reasons for delays in correcting the deficiencies or ensure that contractors and DOD contracting officers are taking all appropriate actions to correct them; and (6) DLA oversight of contracting officers is important, since they have considerable latitude in deciding how to obtain corrective action and DOD does not specify criteria used to determine timeliness of corrective actions.

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Zilwaukee Bridge Project to: (1) determine whether the testing program that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) implemented confirmed that the bridge was structurally sound; (2) identify construction problems causing concerns about the bridge and determine whether they would affect its ability to perform as designed; and (3) assess the MDOT draft bridge maintenance manual. GAO found that: (1) the tests indicated that the Zilwaukee Bridge had performed as designed and that the concrete exceeded design requirements for strength and durability; (2) repairs made after a 1982 construction accident fully restored the damaged areas of the bridge; (3) concrete spalling and cracking did not affect the bridge's ability to perform as designed; (4) MDOT took corrective action to ensure proper bonding of all areas with a concrete overlay; and (5) although an independent panel's review of the maintenance manual concluded that the manual was generally well prepared, it recommended several changes that, if followed, would provide for more adequate future maintenance.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.