Management Assistance Report: Improved Guidance and Acquisition Planning is Needed to Reduce the Use of Bridge Contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq

View Report

Date Issued

Monday, July 26, 2021

Submitting OIG

Department of State OIG

Other Participating OIGs

Department of State OIG

Agencies Reviewed/Investigated

Department of State

Components

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Bureau of Administration

Report Number

AUD-MERO-21-37

Report Type

Other

Number of Recommendations

Questioned Costs

Funds for Better Use

Open Recommendations

This report has 3 open recommendations.

Recommendation Number	Significant Recommendation	Recommended Questioned Costs	Recommended Funds for Better Use
1	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive amend the Foreign Affairs Handbook to include a subsection in 14 FAH-2 H-320, Acquisition Planning, providing direct guidance on sole source noncompetitive contracts or contract extensions with an existing contractor to bridge the time between the original end of that contractor’s contract and the competitive award of a follow-on contract, including providing definitions to the terms: “bridge contract” or “bridge actions,” the parameters under which these sole source noncompetitive contracts and extensions can be used, and a requirement to provide additional information necessary to justify consecutive uses of a noncompetitive sole source award.
2	Yes	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, develop and implement a process to identify and elevate to the Assistant Secretary of Administration, who serves as the appointed agency Chief Acquisition Officer, instances when the acquisition planning process is adversely impacted due to insufficient program office participation so the Chief Acquisition Officer can engage with the impacted program office bureau’s assistant secretary to resolve delays in pursuing full and open competition for contracts in overseas contingency environments.
3	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, revise its Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) Guide to require that written justification for using less than full and open competition for awarding bridge contracts include information on why and how the delay occurred, what measures have or will be undertaken to resolve the delay, and the milestones to achieving full and open competition.