2017 Disaster Contracting: Action Needed to Better Ensure More Effective Use and Management of Advance Contracts
Abstract
Following Hurricane Katrina, Congress required FEMA to establish contracts for goods and services in advance to enable quick and effective mobilization of resources in the aftermath of a disaster. FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers used "advance contracts" for $4.5 billion in goods and services after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the California fires of 2017. We found FEMA's guidance on the use of these types of contracts was unclear, and that inconsistent information from FEMA could impair its efforts to help state and local governments use advance contracts. GAO is making nine recommendations to FEMA, including that it update its strategy and guidance to clarify the use of advance contracts, improve the timeliness of its acquisition planning activities, revise its methodology for reporting disaster contracting actions to congressional committees, and provide more consistent guidance and information to contracting officers to coordinate with and encourage states and localities to establish advance contracts. FEMA concurred with our recommendations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1157710
Entities
People
- Alyssa Weir
- Carol Dawn Petersen
- Elisha Matvay
- Emily Bond
- Erin Butkowski
- Julia Kennon
- Katherine Trimble
- Lorraine Ettaro
- Marie A. Mak
- Meghan Perez
- Robin Wilson
- Sonja Bensen
- Suellen Foth
- Suzanne Sterling
- Sylvia Schatz
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office