On May 21, the U.S Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report describing the steps taken to improve the suspension and debarment programs of some agencies with federal contracts and grants. The report, prepared for the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, found “the number of suspension and debarment actions government-wide has more than doubled from 1,836 in fiscal year 2009 to 4,812 in fiscal year 2013.”

In 2011, the GAO had recommended strengthening federal agency suspension programs by implementing “dedicated staff, detailed policies and procedures, and an active referral process.” The six agencies reviewed for the report had all carried out some of the previous recommendations. The GAO did not make any new recommendations in its report. The report can be found here.