Who’s enforcing 8(a) subcontract limitations?

Many federal agency contracting officers are not collecting all the required information on subcontracting for 8(a) contracts, according to a new probe by the Government Accountability Office.

Out of 10 federal contracting officers interviewed, five said they were “not fully aware” of their responsibilities in enforcing the 8(a) subcontracting limitations and six said they lacked access to the information. Two said they did not believe they were responsible for monitoring compliance.

Gaps in enforcement on 8(a) subcontracting limits have been observed since at least 2006, the GAO said. Under the federal rule, there are limits on the percentage of work to be subcontracted on an 8(a) contract. Contracting officers are to make sure the rule is applied, the GAO said.

More information: GAO report http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/665827.pdf

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