Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Agency for International Development's (AID) contract and procurement system, focusing on AID: (1) overseas contracts that were subject to full and open competition requirements; and (2) ability to plan and effectively manage its procurement of goods and services.
GAO found that: (1) the average award time for full and open competition was 6 months or less at 5 missions, and 8 and 9 months at 2 missions; (2) according to the AID competition advocate, the 6- to 9-month time frame could disrupt project implementation if project designers did not properly plan and realistically schedule procurements; (3) inadequate procurement planning impeded the overseas contracting process; (4) AID often did not prepare procurement plans during project design or did not provide sufficient detail; (5) several factors contributed to poor planning, including inadequate baseline data, agencywide requirements, training, and officer participation; and (6) the procurement organizational structure at AID overseas missions divided responsibilities between contracting and program offices, which resulted in nonprofessionals making key procurement decisions during project design and implementation and inadequate control and oversight over acquisitions.
