The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the General Services Administration establish a framework for GSA personnel to identify and assess potential risks that may arise during alteration or repair of federal buildings.
GAO said in a report published Thursday it found GSA has limited data on unforseen conditions that can affect a government facility repair or alteration project’s overall cost and schedule.
Eleven of the 18 non-generalizable GSA projects that auditors reviewed encountered an unexpected circumstance, according to the government watchdog.
The reviewed projects cost at least $2 million and were funded from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2013.
“GSA officials told GAO that contract change orders are used to document unforeseen conditions that result in a change to the contract, but that these change orders are not analyzed to identify what role these conditions represent on projects or their causes or impacts,” the report states.
The watchdog urged GSA to formulate and implement a plan to analyze data it collects from building alteration and repair initiatives to avoid project cost overruns or schedule delays.
