More on DCAA Dysfunction

Government Executive's Robert Brodsky, who's been investigating and reporting on the internal machinations of DCAA, has obtained a series of internal DCAA memos [1]. One of the memos betray a DCAA in "duck-and-cover mode" working to recover from a slew of criticisms leveled at the agency in the past month.

In late July, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report affirming allegations by employees [2] that agency managers worked to issue audit findings favorable to several contractors despite lack of supporting evidence for the findings. The GAO report also noted that DCAA managers harassed and threatened auditors to discourage them from cooperating with GAO. A few weeks after the GAO report, GovExec reported [3] the concerns of a dozen former DCAA employees that the agency subjugated audit quality to performance measurement metrics.

According to several agency officials, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity, the [Government Executive] article quickly circulated in DCAA offices and headquarters, causing concern among supervisors.

"Upper management is seriously scared right now," said one DCAA employee, who spoke on his cell phone for fear that the agency would check his office line. "Everyone is in duck-and-cover mode."

...

In the first [4] [memo], issued on Aug. 6, [DCAA Director April] Stephenson announced that August, already almost one week old, had been designated as audit quality month.

"To recognize this initiative, we request that each office hold a stand down-day this month in which audit quality is discussed as a group," the memo stated. "The regional director or deputy regional director will participate in these conferences to further emphasize expectations and answer questions or concerns on audit quality."

One hopes that Stephenson is making a serious effort to right the listing agency, rather than throwing up some window dressing for the public (and congressional) consumption.