Procurement of Afghan Army Uniforms: Poor Decisions and Questionable Contracting Processes Added $28 Million to Procurement Costs
Abstract
Our report clearly showed that DODs lack of due diligence and its decision to purchase ANA uniforms using a proprietary camouflage pattern and more costly style resulted in costs that are significantly higher than those for similar nonproprietary camouflage uniforms, potentially costing the U.S. taxpayers between $26.65 million and $28.23 million since 2008. Moreover, given our historical and pledged commitments supporting the continued development of the ANA, we found that changing the ANA uniform to a nonproprietary camouflage pattern and less costly style, similar to those procured for comparable ANP units, could save U.S. taxpayers between $68.61 million and $72.21 million over the next 10 years. We are pleased to report that as a result of our report, DOD agreed to (1) take swift action and conduct an assessment to determine whether there is a more effective alternative, considering both operational environment and cost, available for the ANA, and (2) ensure that current contracting practices for ANA uniforms as well as Afghan National Police (ANP) uniforms conform to all Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements. We first identified the potential issues associated with DODs requirements generation process for the procurement of uniforms for the ANA through work performed by our Audits and Inspections Directorate for our April 2017 audit examining clothing and equipment requirements for the entire Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). This work uncovered contract anomalies, which the Audits and Inspections Directorate forwarded to our Special Projects Directorate for further review.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 25, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1139912
Entities
People
- John Sopko
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction