The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Army Contracting Command offer guidance to help its personnel comply with a policy regarding issuance of service extensions to vendors.GAO said Thursday it reviewed five contracts from the command and found three of the deals were extended for periods longer than what is allowed under the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
FAR’s “option to extend services” clause states that bridge contracts should not exceed six months.
Some federal civilian and military organizations apply the clause so they can continue to receive services from an incumbent contractor if they anticipate a delay in the award of follow-on contracts.
GAO has also urged the Army Contracting Command to implement a program to train its acquisition workforce on how to utilize service contract extensions properly.
