Defense Transportation: Final Evaluation Plan Is Needed to Assess Alternatives to the Current Personal Property Program
Abstract
The Department of Defense spends about $ 1.2 billion annually to move the household goods and unaccompanied baggage of relocating servicemembers and their families. The Department has long been concerned about the quality of services it provides military personnel and their families when they relocate. Past problems include poor service from movers, excessive loss or damage to property, and high claims costs to the government. All of these problems have contributed to poor quality of service for people using the personal property program. Currently, the Department's Transportation Command is developing an evaluation plan to assess alternatives to the existing personal property program. The Command originally expected to have its plan in place by spring 1999 and to begin collecting data from the current program and two pilot projects no later than January 2000 to develop recommendations for a new personal property program. These goals have not been achieved because the Department has not yet concluded what methodology will be included in the evaluation plan to analyze costs and because one of the pilot projects will not be ready to be assessed until late February 2001. In the meantime, the Command decided to begin collecting data in June 2000 for completed sections of the evaluation plan from the current program and the other pilot project, which is in its second year of operation. The Transportation Command and the Military Traffic Management Command, the office administering the ongoing pilot project, have awarded contracts to obtain assistance in developing the evaluation plan and in gathering and analyzing data for this year's assessment. The Military Traffic Management Command has also awarded contracts to private sector transportation companies that will be moving the servicemembers' household goods and unaccompanied baggage.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 27, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA383228
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office