New GAO Report Calls for Improved Reporting of the Effectiveness of Training Programs for Federal Acquisition Personnel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Providing better training to acquisition specialists in the Federal Government can decrease costs and help get better results for taxpayer money

Washington, DC – Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Ranking Member Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) joined Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) in releasing a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that underscores the importance of providing adequate training to federal acquisition personnel.

The report, titled “Acquisition Workforce: Federal Agencies Obtain Training to Meet Requirements, But Have Limited Insight into Costs and Benefits of Training Investment” reviews the effectiveness of training  programs developed and overseen by two government agencies, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the Federal Acquisition Institute. The report examines the implementation of training programs for the approximately 83,000 acquisition personnel at non-defense agencies throughout the government. Acquisition personnel help agencies buy what is needed at the right time, at reasonable costs and ensure that contractors deliver what is promised.

Ranking Member Cummings said, “This report demonstrates that, especially in eras of austerity, slashing training budgets is penny-wise and pound-foolish.  Skilled professionals should be at the heart of the federal acquisition process, and adequate training is essential to that goal.”

Federal acquisition programs and contracts have become more expensive and increasingly complex over the years. According to the GAO report, the shortage of trained acquisition personnel hinders agencies from managing and overseeing contracts effectively. As a result, the federal government is at risk for significant overcharges and wasteful spending. The top challenge reported by agencies in the report was obtaining adequate budgets to manage and provide training for their acquisition workforce. The report also found that when acquisition workforce training programs are implemented by agencies, there is a distinct lack of data collection on the benefits or effectiveness of the programs. As it stands, the data agencies collect on the cost of training is not comparable across the government.

Read more about the report by clicking here.

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