State Department inspector general issues alert over $6 billion in contracting money

[jakeXT]

The State Department’s inspector general has warned the department that $6 billion in contracting money over the past six years cannot be properly accounted for and cited “significant financial risk and .?.?. a lack of internal control.”

The warning was the second “management alert” in State Department history, both issued by new Inspector General Steve Linick. Linick took over the job in late September, after it had been vacant for nearly six years.

Both the alert, dated March 20, and the department’s response a week later, were made public Thursday.

The department said it concurred in all recommendations and outlined steps it will take to address what it agreed is a “vulnerability.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-inspector-general-issues-alert-over-6-billion-in-contracting-money/2014/04/03/8ebf465c-bb73-11e3-9a05-c739f29ccb08_story.html

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R

- Watch for ''jumpers.''

[KoKo]

2. Pvt. Chelsea Manning Credited! This is a shocking report on State Dept. More:

Linick initiated the alert format to report on problems that remain unaddressed despite repeatedly being identified in IG audits and investigations. The first alert, released in January in partly classified form, cited “significant and recurring weaknesses in the Department of State Information System Security Program.”

Issued three years after the public release of hundreds of thousands of department cables, which then-Army Pvt. Bradley Manning had turned over to WikiLeaks, the first alert found that efforts to find and fix the problems had been insufficient.

The new alert addressed a similarly sensitive issue: the government’s inability to keep track of the growing number of outside contractors who have taken the place of government workers. A series of special government and congressional investigations has identified widespread contracting fraud in both the State and Defense departments, especially in overseas expenditures.

A succession of IG audits, investigations and inspections, the report said, found “repeated examples of poor contract file administration.” Among the examples it cited was a recent audit of the “closeout process for contracts supporting the U.S. mission in Iraq.” When auditors asked for a sample of 115 contract files, officials were unable to provide 33 of them, totaling $2.1 billion. Of the remaining 82, the report said, 48 contained insufficient documents required by federal law.

During an ongoing audit of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, the report said, officials did not provide complete files for any of the eight contracts reviewed, with a value of $34.8 million.
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Whole article is well worth the read!

[Autumn]

3. That should be a stand alone OP

[KoKo]

4. Given the lack of interest in this post and revelations

I'd say it would go off to archives pretty fast.

If you or anyone else want to cut and paste my comment and post...feel free!

I think the whole thing is shocking and that Manning is in jail when he whistleblew over what so many of us suspected were excessie use of contractors, fraud and waste in Iraq and forward in Afghanistan. Yet, there's little interest. Maybe it's just apathy that nothing will ever be done about these revelations that there's so little interest here.

[KoKo]

9. Kick for SUNDAY NIGHT...NEWS YOU MISSED...that is Very Important!

Truly....READ IT...or Bookmark if you don't have time...!

[Solly Mack]

5. K&R

[KoKo]

6. This is a Huge Issue doing the Friday Night Dump by WaPo..but a Good Read...

inspite of their doing the "Dark of Night..Friday Dump."

Kick and Recommend its a very Damning Report. And this isn't about ISSA's Shenanigans against Hillary ...It's REAL as to what's been going on under the radar for YEARS!

[DeSwiss]

8. This kinda thing......

...upsets the clean, righteous and experiential narrative that's being laid out for us. To help us with our ''choices'' later. And it's interesting that you mention Issa's lack of credibility to deal with anything substantive now after his Benghazi meltdown.

- It couldn't have worked out better if it had been planned that way all along......

[KoKo]

10. ...1

[DeSwiss]

7. A KICK for the Hills......

[Enthusiast]

11. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch.....nt

[WorseBeforeBetter]

12. K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Who was running the State Department over the last 6 years?

Anybody we've heard of?

[Rex]

14. K&R!

For pissing off all the RIGHT people!

[nc4bo]

15. Whoa! Coming in from a link from GD.P. I missed this.

Kick and Rec