Pentagon not spotting overpayments to contractors, IG finds

[The Straight Story]

Pentagon not spotting overpayments to contractors, IG finds

The Defense Department is not adequately uncovering large overpayments to contractors, according to the Pentagon's internal watchdog.

A recent department search for such overpayments was both "inaccurate and incomplete," the Defense inspector general reported Wednesday.

Less than half the department's $303.7 billion in first quarter expenditures last year were reviewed for overpayments, the IG report found. Unless senior officials improve their review methodology and oversight, Defense "will continue to understate the department's high-dollar overpayments and error rate," the report warned.

"This is clearly unacceptable," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management. "The Pentagon has to do a much better job in identifying and eliminating improper payments. We need to look in every nook and cranny of federal spending -- domestic and defense -- to find ways to cut waste and fraud. "

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=47372&oref=todaysnews

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[DCKit]

2. Why would the Pentagram NOT carefully audit the payments to corporations...

owned and/or run by ex-pentagram officials?

What a conundrum.