Why GAO Did This Study
Ensuring procurement data quality helps agencies and policymakers make data-driven decisions, improve public trust, and promote the efficiency and effectiveness of government.
GAO was asked to review various aspects of data quality on USAspending.gov and its feeder systems, as well as the modernization of the IAE. This report examines, among other objectives, the extent to which (1) agencies completed procurement data quality reports consistent with relevant guidance; (2) selected agencies have procedures and corrective actions to help ensure procurement data quality in FPDS; and (3) GSA developed modernization plans for the IAE legacy systems, including FPDS.
GAO reviewed procurement data quality reports for fiscal year 2023, which were the most recently available at the time of its review. To understand agencies’ relevant policies and procedures, GAO obtained and reviewed agency documents. GAO also interviewed officials at GSA and the Departments of Defense (DOD), Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Veterans Affairs (VA). GAO selected these agencies because they had the largest contract obligations. GAO also interviewed staff at OMB.
What GAO Found
The Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) is the government’s principal repository for procurement information, some of which is displayed on USAspending.gov, the official source of federal spending data. In fiscal year 2024, federal agencies reported about $755 billion in procurement obligations to FPDS. FPDS is part of the Integrated Award Environment (IAE), a suite of systems administered by the General Services Administration (GSA) that tracks federal award data. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides guidance to agencies for annually certifying the quality of the data they report to FPDS. Agencies do so through procurement data quality reports.
Of the 70 federal agencies that reported data to FPDS for fiscal year 2023, 36, or 51 percent, confirmed completion of procurement data quality reports.
In addition, the 24 agencies’ procurement data quality reports GAO reviewed did not meet all relevant OMB reporting requirements. For example, two did not certify that procurement data were timely entered into FPDS, and 19 did not submit their reports within OMB’s deadline. Implementing monitoring procedures would help OMB ensure that agencies are meeting OMB requirements, thus providing assurance about the quality of federal procurement data.
GAO also found that five selected agencies varied in the extent to which their verification and validation procedures and corrective actions help ensure procurement data quality. For example, one did not design a statistically valid sampling methodology, and three did not adequately develop or document corrective actions to address identified issues. While two have since addressed other issues GAO found, remaining issues could be addressed by enhancing sampling procedures and documenting corrective actions to help ensure that selected agencies adhere to OMB requirements and improve procurement data quality.
As of May 2025, GSA had consolidated and retired 10 of its 13 IAE legacy systems. However, GSA lacks a plan and timeline to modernize the remaining three systems, including FPDS. By finalizing a plan to complete the modernization of its IAE systems, GSA would help create a more streamlined, efficient, and integrated federal acquisition process.
Recommendations
GAO is making 12 recommendations—five to OMB; three to GSA; and one each to DOD, DOE, HHS, and VA. GAO is recommending that these agencies take various steps, such as developing monitoring procedures and root cause analyses, to enhance their ability to ensure procurement data quality. GSA, DOD, DOE, HHS, and VA concurred with these recommendations. OMB did not provide comments on this report.
