NASA Needs to Better Assess Contract Termination Liability Risks and Ensure Consistency in Its Practices (open access)

NASA Needs to Better Assess Contract Termination Liability Risks and Ensure Consistency in Its Practices

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) procures most of its goods and services through contracts, and it terminates very few of them. In fiscal year 2010, for example, NASA's procurements, ranging from small contracts for human resources consulting services to multimillion dollar contracts to build and operate spacecraft, totaled approximately $17.4 billion, representing about 83.4 percent of the agency's obligations that year. That same year, it terminated 28 of 16,343 active contracts and orders--a termination rate of about .17 percent. This rate is about the same--less than 0.2 percent--for each of the past 5 fiscal years. NASA contract terminations--the complete or partial cancellation of work under a contract before the contract's period of performance ends--are rare but could become more common in the future. The federal government is facing real fiscal limitations and will have to make difficult choices about upcoming priorities. This reality makes it more important than ever that NASA manage its projects as efficiently and effectively as possible and within its budget. This is a struggle for NASA. Our work has shown that NASA's large-scale projects tend to cost more and take longer to …
Date: July 12, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reimbursable Space Act Agreements: NASA Generally Adhering to Fair Reimbursement Controls, but Guidance on Waived Cost Justifications Needs Refinement (open access)

Reimbursable Space Act Agreements: NASA Generally Adhering to Fair Reimbursement Controls, but Guidance on Waived Cost Justifications Needs Refinement

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the last few years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has increasingly relied on its authority under the Space Act of 1958 to enter into agreements, commonly referred to as Space Act agreements (SAA), to stimulate private sector development of systems capable of transporting cargo and crew to the International Space Station and to assist partner firms in developing their technologies. Reimbursable Space Act agreements involve the use of NASA's facilities, personnel, or equipment primarily for the benefit of the agreement partner. NASA undertakes reimbursable work when it has unique goods, services, or facilities which can be made available to another party in a manner that does not interfere with NASA mission requirements and is consistent with the agency's mission. According to NASA guidance, the agency generally collects full reimbursement for costs associated with a reimbursable agreement. These types of agreements are known as fully reimbursable SAAs. However, NASA can accept less than full reimbursement in certain instances, such as when the reimbursement is fair and reasonable when compared to the benefits NASA receives from the work. When NASA waives costs under a reimbursable SAA, NASA …
Date: May 26, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
System: The UNT Digital Library
OCS-Related Infrastructure Fact Book, Volume 1: Post-Hurricane Impact Assessment (open access)

OCS-Related Infrastructure Fact Book, Volume 1: Post-Hurricane Impact Assessment

"This report examines a wide range of energy infrastructure assets along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) that supports, or is supported by, offshore oil and gas production."
Date: December 2011
Creator: Dismukes, David E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Archival Investigations for Potential Colonial-Era Shipwrecks in Ultra-Deepwater within the Gulf of Mexico (open access)

Archival Investigations for Potential Colonial-Era Shipwrecks in Ultra-Deepwater within the Gulf of Mexico

A report on the primary archival material relative to early vessel losses in Ultra-Deepwater within the Gulf of Mexico.
Date: June 2011
Creator: Krivor, Michael C.; de Bry, John; Linville, Nicholas J. & Wells, Debra J.
System: The UNT Digital Library