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For over 125 years, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), within the Department of the Treasury, has relied on a single contractor to supply the paper for U.S. currency. Such a long-term contracting relationship could contribute to higher costs and other risks. Another federal agency that relied on a single contractor, the U.S. Mint, decided to obtain a second supplier for coin metal. In solicitations for currency paper contracts in 1999 and 2003, BEP took steps to address barriers to competition that GAO had identified in 1998 through a survey of paper manufacturers. This report updates GAO's 1998 report using data from a second survey. It addresses (1) the changes BEP made to encourage competition and the results of its efforts, (2) the steps BEP took to ensure that it paid fair and reasonable prices, and (3) the analysis BEP has done of the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining a second supplier. To encourage competition for the 1999 and 2003 contracts, BEP modified its solicitations to, among other things, indicate that it would provide bidders with the security thread that is inserted into most currency paper and extend the time for initial deliveries. For the 1999 contract, one additional supplier submitted an initial proposal but later withdrew it, and for the 2003 contract, only the current supplier submitted a proposal. This company remains the sole supplier of U.S. currency paper. According to paper manufacturers, several barriers to competition remain, including the high capital costs of and technological requirements for producing currency paper. BEP said it has not addressed these barriers because the requirements are either essential to preserve the security of currency paper or they are outside BEP's control (e.g., anticounterfeiting features are recommended by a federal committee). While some of the remaining barriers are outside BEP's control, BEP's outreach to paper manufacturers has been limited. For example, BEP does not meet regularly with them, as the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security meet with potential suppliers of their procurements, to identify additional steps that could be taken to encourage competition. To the extent that BEP has reached out to paper manufacturers, it has generally done so in conjunction with other BEP procurements. For the contracts awarded in 1999 and 2003, BEP took several steps, consistent with the Federal Acquisition Regulation's requirements, to determine that the prices it paid under these contracts were fair and reasonable. For the 1999 contract, it used price analysis (a comparison of two proposals) to determine that the two proposals it initially received were fair and reasonable. This analysis was sufficient because BEP had determined that adequate price competition existed. For the 2003 contract, BEP performed several cost analysis activities to ensure that the final agreed-to price was fair and reasonable, since the current supplier was the only company that submitted a proposal. For example, BEP obtained certified cost and pricing data from the current supplier, requested an audit review of the current supplier's price proposal, and established a technical analysis team to examine steps in the current supplier's manufacturing process that affect price. BEP also arranged for postaward audits of the current supplier. BEP has not analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining a second supplier of currency paper since 1996. At that time, it concluded that the costs would outweigh the benefits, but it did not analyze the long-term effects. As a result, it does not know how a second supplier would affect the costs, quality, security, and supply of currency paper over time. Analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining a second supplier would help BEP determine the need for one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1879, virtually all paper purchased by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for U.S. currency production has come from one supplier--Crane & Co. Although Crane has consistently provided quality paper, the Bureau at times was forced to pay prices it was unable to determine were fair and reasonable because it had no other U.S. source for paper. The Bureau's assessment of Crane's proposed prices were hampered by several factors, including the lack of market prices for currency paper and the limited analyses of proposed costs and prices it performed, especially on earlier contracts in GAO's sample. In addition, some Bureau practices, such as understating the quantities of currency paper needed, caused the government to pay more for currency paper than it should have. The Bureau is responsible for ensuring that the government's supply of paper is not disrupted. Although no disruptions have occurred, the Bureau for many years did not maintain a reserve inventory of paper to provide for contingencies. As a result, it was more vulnerable to adverse consequences if a disruption had occurred and it was at a disadvantage in its contract negotiations because it lacked an alternative source for currency paper. The Bureau recently has been purchasing paper to build a three-month reserve supply and, under the law, could buy paper from a foreign source if no domestic source exists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of reforms implemented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its money market mutual fund (MMF) rules designed to reduce run risk at MMFs exposed by the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Topics discussed include the vulnerability of certain MMFs to runs as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and evidences showing the effectiveness of the reforms during the pandemic.

The article discusses the January 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which examined the impact of ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure sectors such as energy and health care. It explored the recorded increase in the value of U.S. ransomware-related incidents in 2021, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidance in addressing ransomware, and the ransomware support offered by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

The article discusses the January 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which examined the effectiveness of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Shadow Wolves program developed to address illegal smuggling of narcotics from Mexico to the Tohono O'odham Nation in Arizona. Topics explored include the recruitment of law enforcement personnel to work on the program, the Shadow Wolves expansion planning, and the changes in the program's operations and structure.

The article discusses the January 2024 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which compared characteristics of comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) schools and public schools in the U.S. Topics explored include the compliance to Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) school improvement requirements, the partnership between school districts and stakeholders in the implementation of CSI plans, and the academic outcomes of students in CSI schools.

The article focuses on opportunities to reduce costs in the crop insurance program in the U.S., including compensation to private insurers, premium subsidies for policyholders, and the potential savings achievable by adjusting subsidy rates for high-income policyholders. The analysis suggests that the government could achieve significant savings by renegotiating reinsurance agreements and reducing premium subsidies for high-income participants.

The article discusses U.S. priorities and diplomacy in the Arctic, emphasizing geopolitical trends, impacts of climate change on Alaska Natives and heightened great power competition. Topics include the U.S. Arctic strategy, federal entities managing Arctic efforts and factors facilitating or hindering the government's management of Arctic priorities.

The article evaluates the mental health services offered to Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees and their eligible family members based overseas. It focuses on factors affecting provider workloads, challenges in delivering and accessing services, and State's monitoring of services. It also notes increased demand for mental health services due to factors like the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article focuses on the effect of the elimination of paper U.S. saving bonds by the Department of the Treasury on the savings bond program and bond purchases. Topics include an online system TreasuryDirect, the Treasury's future plans for the Tax Time Savings Bond program, and challenges of lower-income households' savings.

The article reports on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) review of the changes made by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) to its delivery of key services and administration of its programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include the funding received by the SSA to respond to the pandemic, the effect of the changes on the public, and the recommendations by GAO to the SSA.

Part Two presents the NAM publication Meeting the Moment: Addressing Barriers and Facilitating Clinical Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Diagnosis discussing the factors influencing the adoption of non-autonomous point-of-care AI technology that can assist in the diagnosing of a disease. Although GAO and NAM staff consulted with and assisted each other throughout this work, reviews were conducted by GAO and NAM separately and independently, and authorship of the text of Part One and Part Two of the report lies solely with GAO and NAM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about the steps taken by Federal Emergency Management Agency and U. S. Department of Homeland Security to improve various aspects of their operations, including providing additional information to disaster assistance applicants, improving the management of untimely liquidations, responsibilities for the referral and placement of unaccompanied children, and implementing oversight mechanisms for medical care in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's custody.

The article discusses the need of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to improve its management of paper case files. Missing case files could cause a loss in revenue, create unnecessary taxpayer burden, and make case files unavailable for other units. Moreover, the agency acknowledged its historic difficulties in locating and retrieving case files and its attempts to recreate them by requesting information from taxpayers.

The article presents the October 2011 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on electronic-filing (e-filing) individual tax returns in the country. The report highlights the country's Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) e-file mandate, its implementation, and the benefits of filing tax returns electronically. It also explores e-file rates and the experiences of tax preparers on the mandate, IRS's options for data digitalization, and data processing and e-file planning.

The article looks at the report of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that reviews the progress of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) has made toward meeting the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia order to provide meaningful access to U.S. currency to visually impaired persons. It mention that GAO recommends BEP evaluation of its currency reader program while developing a tactile feature in the next redesign of currency.

The article discusses various challenges and observations related to federal grants management in the U.S. It emphasizes the importance of capacity, streamlining, transparency, and internal control and oversight in successful grants management. It t mentions the need to address fragmentation, and duplication in federal grant programs and efforts to streamline grants management, including the implementation of the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency Act of 2019 (GREAT Act).

The article discusses the oversight of tax-exempt status for nonprofit hospitals by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Topics include the lack of clarity in defining hospital community benefits in tax law, challenges in administering tax law due to inconsistent reporting and lack of transparency, and the need for IRS to improve its oversight of hospitals' compliance with community benefit requirements.

The article discusses the progress made in addressing high-risk areas and the need to maintain and expand efforts to fully address all areas. Topics include the removal of two areas from the high-risk list, the addition of a new area related to the federal prison system, and the essential elements for progress in high-risk areas, including congressional action, agency leadership, and involvement from the Office of Management and Budget.

The article discusses the use of inland intermodal freight facilities by freight stakeholders to improve supply chain mobility and reduce congestion at maritime ports. Topics include the outdated Freight and Land Use Handbook by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the need for its update and communication to stakeholders, and the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic that highlighted the importance of these facilities for maintaining the flow of cargo containers.

The article discusses the cost estimating practices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for major acquisitions. Topics include the decentralized approach to cost estimating within NOAA, the misalignment of cost estimating procedures with best practices, and the need for agency-wide policy and guidance to ensure reliable and consistent cost estimates.

The article discusses the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) assessment of broadband deployment in the United States and the inconsistencies in its reporting on broadband speed benchmarks. Topics include the lack of transparency in the scope of analysis and rationale for setting the benchmark, the importance of broadband access for daily activities, and the efforts by the federal government and state governments to increase broadband availability.

The article discusses the acquisition programs of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and identifies areas where improvements are needed. Topics include the reduced involvement of contracting officers in developing acquisition strategies, the lack of consistent demonstration of lessons learned in program development, and the absence of a formal process to archive and share lessons learned, posing risks to future acquisition programs.

The article offers information about the actions needed to improve education efforts and awareness of complaint process for franchise owners, a study given by United States Government Accountability Office. It examines challenges franchise owners face in operating franchises and the Federal Trade Commission's efforts to educate prospective franchise owners. It discusses how the FTC oversees franchising, reviewing laws and regulations and conducting.

The article focuses on the challenges faced by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in implementing the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program. It highlights the deficiencies in VA's organizational change management strategies, user satisfaction with the new EHR system, and identification and resolution of system issues. It presents recommendations to address the issues and ensure successful implementation of the EHRM program.

The article focuses on how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been helping states in child welfare. It discusses the elements of kinship navigator programs that are beneficial to families, how states are using federal funds to invest in their programs, and the challenges selected states face in meeting federal evidence-based requirements for evaluating programs. It aims to review how states are investing in programs that support kin caregivers.

The article discusses a report presented to Congress that highlights the limitations of crash test dummies in providing accurate information to improve vehicle safety for different demographic groups in U.S. It emphasizes that certain groups, such as women, older people, and those with higher body mass indexes, are at greater risk of injury or death in crashes. It suggests that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should develop a plan to address these limitations.

The article discusses a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) that examines the benefits, risks, and limitations of selected financial technology (fintech) products for underserved consumers. It focuses on four types of fintech products: digital deposit accounts, credit builder products, small-dollar fintech loans, and earned wage access. It also highlights the issue of unbanked or underbanked households in the U.S.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) relies on about 55 million paper-based files to adjudicate applications for immigration status and other benefits. Ensuring the currency and availability of these manual files, referred to as alien files, or A-Files, is a major challenge. To address this challenge, USCIS has initiated efforts, both long and near term, to automate the A-Files. The long-term effort is now being re-examined within the context of a larger USCIS organizational transformation initiative. In the near term, USCIS has begun a digitization program, which it estimates will cost about $190 million over an 8-year period to electronically scan existing paper files and store and share the scanned images. GAO was asked to determine whether USCIS was effectively managing its A-Files automation efforts. USCIS's effectiveness in managing its long-term effort for automating the A-Files cannot yet be determined because the scope, content, and approach for moving from paper-based to paperless A-Files has yet to be defined. Nevertheless, GAO believes that USCIS's recent decision to re-examine prior agency plans for a strategic A-Files automation solution within the context of an agencywide transformation strategy appropriately recognizes the integral support role that information technology plays in organizational and business transformation. GAO also believes that the success of USCIS's organizational transformation depends on other key supporting practices, such as having a comprehensive and integrated transformation plan (goals and schedules) and results-oriented performance measures. With respect to USCIS's near-term A-Files automation effort, known as the Integrated Digitization Document Management Program (IDDMP), effective planning is not occurring. In particular, USCIS has not developed a plan governing how it will manage this program and its contractors, and it has not developed an evaluation plan for its ongoing digitization concept of operations pilot test, even though it has either awarded or plans to award contracts totaling about $20 million for this pilot. In addition, USCIS officials told us they do not yet know which A-Files immigration forms will be scanned. Without a defined scope and adequate planning, this program is at risk of falling short of expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the Federal TRIO programs (TRIO) are a vital source of assistance for disadvantaged students in the United States. Congress has allocated over one billion dollars annually to eight different college access grant programs under the TRIO umbrella. These programs provide resources and support to approximately 800,000 low-income and first-generation college students, as well as individuals with disabilities and veterans.

The article reports that the Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Report provides an overview of the U.S. government's financial position and condition, and covers various financial topics and trends. The report is produced by the Treasury in collaboration with the OMB, which is a part of the Executive Office of the President. It includes a table of key indicators that highlight the government's financial position and condition.

The article reports that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examining the independent Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), the processes used to protect human subjects, and the standards of IRB quality, among other things. It describes the composition of the IRB market and examines the oversight of IRBs by the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among other objectives.

The article focuses on Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for rural veterans in the U.S. Topics include talking about VHA Intensive Mental Health Care Programs, gives a list of national offices and their responsibilities in VHA, and presents data on urban areas having a higher proportion of veterans using intensive mental health programs compared to rural areas.

The article focuses on the enforcement of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by the U.S. government, particularly regarding the export of defense services subject to control on the U.S. Munitions List. It examines the mechanisms used by the U.S. Department of State to ensure that U.S. persons comply with ITAR requirements for defense services, as well as the actions taken by State and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) when a suspected violation occurs.

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' use of the funds under the program Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include the objective of the program, and the challenges that affected the program's effectiveness in developing and manufacturing countermeasures.

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to provide affordable and quality care for military families' children under its child care program. Topics discussed include ways in which the DOD child care program supports the learning and development of young children, how the program supports the readiness of service members and their families, and the effects of high-quality child care on children in general.

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) use of nursing home ownership information. Topics discussed include information on nursing home ownership characteristics being collected by the CMS, the dissemination of this information by the CMS, the goal of the CMS for presenting this information on Care Compare, and the transparency of this information for consumers.

The article focuses on U.S. Government auditing standards 2023 revision. Topics include presenting an overview of the proposed standard for 2023 revision of government auditing standards, proposed standards are in consideration with International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) quality management standards, and mentions the eight contents of proposed system of quality management such as Engagement performance and resources.

The article focuses on improvement of safely integrating drones into the national airspace system by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Topics include mentioning two rules issued by FAA in January 2021 which requires drones in flight to give identification information and allowed drone operation over moving vehicle or people under certain conditions and enlists various pilot programs initiated to develop and test drone concepts or operations such as BEYOND Program.

The article focuses on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) review of tactical aircraft studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) Joint Staff and the military services. Topics discussed include the gaps and shortfalls found in the DOD tactical aircraft studies, the tactical aircraft investments, and recommendations by GAO to DOD regarding its studies.

The article presents a testimony before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Ways and Means regarding data on investments activity and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) challenges ensuring taxpayer compliance. It mentions that the U.S. Congress created Opportunity Zones tax incentive to spur investments in economically distressed communities. It informs that taxpayers who invest in Qualified Opportunity Funds could receive significant tax-related benefits.

From fiscal years 1997 through 2000, the number of individual and business tax returns filed electronically increased from 23 million to 41 million. During the same period, the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) expenditures for submission processing grew from $795 million to $924 million, an increase of 16 percent. Because it costs less to process an electronic return than a paper return, a growth in processing costs seemed improbable. Interviews with IRS officials and an analysis of relevant documentation identified several factors that limited the impact of electronic filing. Specifically, (1) the overall number of individual and business tax returns filed increased, and the resources needed to process that increase partially offset the resources saved by processing more electronic returns; (2) the number of the most costly to process individual income tax returns filed on paper essentially stayed the same; and (3) the number of individual income tax returns filed on paper and received during the peak filing period stayed relatively the same, and peak processing needs drive the resources needed to process individual paper returns. Although electronic filing increased, so did the demands placed on paper processing staff. In particular, (1) processing changes increased the workload for units responsible for reviewing returns for completeness and coding them for entry data, and correcting errors; (2) because most electronic filers still sent a paper signature document to IRS, the work done by paper processing staff was not entirely eliminated when taxpayers filed electronically; and (3) front-line paper processing staff spent increasing amounts of time on activities, including training, not specifically related to processing returns. Future reductions in processing costs as a result of electronic filing are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of barriers to air travel accessibility facing passengers with disabilities. Topics discussed include an increase in complaints related to disabilities received by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), actions taken by the DOT to implement accessibility-related provisions of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's Reauthorization Act of 2018, and initiatives by airports and airlines in addressing these barriers.

The article reports on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of federal agencies' efforts in hiring and retaining wildland firefighters. Topics discussed include the composition of the federal wildland firefighting workforce, in the size and severity the barriers to hiring and retaining federal wildland firefighters, and actions made by agencies to address these barriers.

The article reports on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) purchases of seafood for the National School Lunch Program. Topics discussed include the essential role of such programs in providing access to healthy meals, factors affecting states' and school food authorities' efforts to provide seafood to students, and the efforts of the USDA in addressing these factors.

The article focuses on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's review of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Employment Through Technology Education Courses pilot program. Topics discussed include the demographic characteristics of the program's participants, the employment outcomes of the participants, and actions made by the VA to improve the program.

The article reports on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's study on the options to mitigate setbacks faced by stakeholders while implementing the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA) of 2016. Topics discussed include the process established by FASTA to reduce the government's federal civilian real property inventory, the stakeholders in the process and the need for the U.S. General Services Administration to develop a process that leverages the lessons learned from the process.

The article focuses on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) review of the government-wide adoption of the Technology Business Management Council's framework by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and General Services Administration (GSA). Topics discussed include the objective of the framework, limitations in the adoption of the framework by OMB and GSA, and recommendations from the GAO to the OMB and GSA to strengthen adoption of the framework.

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) assessment of the environmental and other effects of large constellations of satellites. Topics discussed include factors contributing to an increase in deployment of satellites by commercial enterprises, the emerging technologies that may be used to evaluate and mitigate such effects, the challenges in implementing these technologies, and policy options recommended by GAO to address such challenges.

The article presents the U.S. Government Accountability Office's evaluation of the extent to which veterans pursue STEM degrees with the use of the U.S. Veterans Affairs' (VA) education benefits. Topics discussed include the use of the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program by veterans in pursuing STEM degrees, the challenges facing veterans in obtaining a STEM degree, and the need for the VA to address disparities in application denial rates.