During those three years, the Pentagon obligated $12.5 billion noncompetitively to procure goods and services using the exception; State obligated $582 million; and USAID, about $20 million, GAO reported. Governmentwide the total of noncompeted contracts in fiscal 2013 amounted to $164 billion, or 36 percent of overall contracting.

But, 28 of the 62 contracts for such needs as personal armor, guard services and communications “were incorrectly coded as having used the urgency exception when they did not,” the report said. GAO also found that “20 of the 28 miscoded contracts were awarded using procedures that are more simple and separate from the requirements related to the use of the urgency exception.”

Some contracts, GAO added, were extended for longer than the one year that is allowable under the urgency exception as defined by statute and under the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and the requirement that contracting officers consider as many competing vendors as is practicable was not always followed. For some contracts, “lack of access to technical data rights and reliance on contractor expertise prevented agencies from obtaining competition,” GAO wrote in the report mandated by the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.

Officials also sometimes failed to understand transparency requirements, the report said. “For 15 of the justifications we reviewed, we could not confirm whether justifications were posted to the FedBizOpps website within the required time frames, or at all, as no documentation was available,” auditors wrote. “Some officials told us that justifications were not posted due to an administrative oversight.”

GAO noted that the White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy is in a position to clarify when the urgency exception should apply. Auditors recommended that OFPP and the three agencies disseminate guidance to contracting officers to improve documentation of the justifications. The agencies agreed.

By Charles S. Clark

Columbia Helicopters Inc., Aurora, Oregon, was awarded a $63,644,013 modification (0002-31) to previously awarded contract HTC711-11-D-R021. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $377,093,731 from $313,449,718.

AAR Airlift Group Inc., Palm Bay, Florida, was awarded a $65,121,714 modification (0001-41) to previously awarded contract HTC711-10-D-R026. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $628,491,392 from $563,369,678.

ABOUT Columbia Helicopters Inc.

Our company was founded by Wes Lematta in 1957 with a single helicopter, and today is the world leader in commercial heavy-lift helicopter operations. We are the only operator of the commercial models of the CH-47 Chinook and CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, allowing us to offer unmatched lifting services to industries such as forestry, construction, petroleum exploration, government support, disaster relief and fighting wild fires.

ABOUT AAR Airlift Group Inc.

AAR is a leading provider of aviation services to the worldwide commercial aerospace and government/defense industries. AAR combines a close-to-the-customer business model with a broad menu of capabilities to help customers operate more efficiently, lower costs and maintain high levels of quality, safety and service. AAR is a financially stable, dedicated partner with an enduring commitment to innovation, execution, continuous improvement and customer value.