The Army has announced a special contracting commission to review joint, expeditionary contracting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
The commission has been given authority to examine current operations and ensure future contracting operations are more effective, efficient and transparent and is to report back in 45 days, according to a statement issued by the department.
It said a task force has also been created to address current contracting issues, while the commission will examine theater acquisition and program management processes, review management controls, assess legislative needs, and recommend changes in policies and procedures.
"The commission will take a big picture look and ensure we are properly organized to support Army and joint force expeditionary operations in an era of persistent conflict," said Army secretary Pete Geren.
The department and its criminal investigation command — CID — responded to allegations of corrupt contracting in Southwest Asia in 2005, and later established a Kuwait fraud office which has become a focus in the fraud crack down, the statement said.
It said that after a review in March, the Army began implementing a contracting action plan that reorganized the Kuwait contracting office, changed its leadership, established a procurement support board, increased staffing, including senior contracting professionals and attorneys and stepped up ethics training.
The Army will reportedly look at up to 18,000 contracts awarded from 2003 to 2007, weighing in at around $3 billion, in order to identify waste, fraud and abuse.
There are 76 ongoing criminal investigations involving contract fraud stemming from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait theaters, the department said, noting that while 20 military and civilian employees have been indicted on fraud charges, most contracting professionals do their jobs.
