Improved Contract Administration Needed for the Customer Technology Solutions Contract

Based on our review of the WCF contract EPW08034, which ended September 2012, the EPA needs to improve its contract administration to assist in managing other similar type contracts. The EPA did not, as stated by Office of Management and Budget, Federal Acquisition Regulations and agency guidelines: Use performance standards to measure cost outcomes. Complete any of the required contractor performance evaluation reports. Maintain required contract administration documents. The EPA did not have policies in place that would require performance metrics and standards to be linked to cost outcomes and procedures to ensure contract administrators maintain sufficient documents in the official contract files. The EPA did not complete contractor performance reports because of insufficient guidance and inadequate communications during contractor performance system changes and personnel reassignments. The EPA’s contractor performance systems include the National Institutes of Health’s Contractor Performance System and subsequently the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, which transmits information into the Past Performance Information Retrieval System. The EPA’s ineffective contract administration may have hindered the ability of EPA staff to ensure that the contractor successfully met agency needs, as well as its ability to determine whether the EPA achieved the best value for the $85 million expended on the WCF contract.