The objective of this work was to determine if the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, had adequate internal controls over the management of information processing contracts, grants, and purchase orders. We selected three cost-plus-award-fee contracts with significant information processing requirements for our review because they are, according to NASA procurement representatives, among the most complex to manage, and have products that are usually unique and sometimes difficult to objectively measure and evaluate. At JSC we selected and review the management controls over these three contracts, currently valued at more than $425 million. Although JSC has various systems of internal controls in place, those used for paying contractors make JSC vulnerable to potential waste, abuse, and mismanagement. Specifically, JSC contracting officers and technical representatives do not link the receipt of products and services actually received against the cost vouchers contractors submit for payment. While JSC relies on a series of internal control mechanisms for assurances that contractors deliver high quality goods and services, none of these mechanisms is a sufficient substitute for periodic linking of contractors cost vouchers with products actually received. As a result, opportunities exist for JSC to be billed and pay for goods and services never received.

Johnson Space Center Procurement: Controls Over Payments to Contractors Should Be Strengthened