and VA’s program to buy medical and surgical supplies for 9 million veteran patients has not been effectively executed and is not in line with practices at leading hospitals.
The VA’s discretionary budget for fiscal 2019 is the highest in its history at $86.5 billion, including about $26 billion for acquisitions. But the VA’s management of its purchasing has been deficient and is now considered high risk, GAO’s Comptroller General Gene Dodaro testified at a recent congressional hearing.
Since 2015, the GAO has made 31 recommendations to help the VA improve its procurements, but only 10 have been implemented.
With regard to the problems with VA’s Med-Surg Prime Vendor program, which procures medical supplies for VA patients, the VA said it would develop a strategy by March 2019 that addressed the issues raised by the GAO (Click for related story).
The GAO also said VA should prioritize completing the revision of its acquisition regulations, which has been in process since 2011.
Also in GAO’s High-Risk report, Dodaro said that the Defense Dept. has resolved its problems with supply chain management, which have been removed from the High-Risk List.
At the same time, NASA acquisitions remain on the High-Risk List. Problems include lack of leadership commitment, capacity and monitoring.
More information:
GAO High-Risk List testimony:
https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/697259.pdf
