Objective
We determined whether U.S. Army Special Operations Command awarded service contracts and task orders in accordance with Federal and DoD regulations. The contracted services included functions such as maintenance, medical, housekeeping, education and training, and transportation to support U.S. Army Special Operations Command. We reviewed the 35 service contracts, valued at $21.4 million, from the period of October 1, 2013, through September 30, 2015.
This is the second in a series of audits of U.S. Special Operations Command component commands. The United States House Committee on Armed Services requested the initial audit to review the process for awarding service contracts at Naval Special Warfare Command.
Finding
U.S. Army Special Operations Command contracting personnel properly planned and awarded 29 service contracts, valued at $12.1 million, in accordance with Federal and DoD regulations. Specifically, U.S. Army Special Operations Command contracting personnel properly:
- planned acquisitions to promote and provide for full and open competition to the maximum extent practicable by developing acquisition plans, determining whether to use commercial or Government resources for acquisition of supplies or services, and determining whether functions are inherently governmental;
- conducted and documented market research to ensure the most suitable approach to acquiring, distributing, and supporting service acquisitions;
- publicized contract opportunities and award information;
- competed contract awards in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 6, that prescribes policies and procedures to promote full and open competition in the acquisition process; and
- ensured sole-source awards were justified and documented properly.
In addition, U.S. Army Special Operations Command contracting personnel used a valid statutory requirement when awarding the other six contracts, with a total value of $9.3 million. Specifically, the Federal Acquisition Regulation states that full and open competition need not be provided for when a statute expressly authorizes or requires that the acquisition be made through another agency or from a specified source.
Management Comments
We provided a discussion draft to officials at U.S. Army Special Operations Command on April 13, 2016. We considered management comments on a discussion draft of this report when preparing the final report. No official response to this report was required.
This report is a result of Project No. D2015-D000CL-0259.000.