Information Technology Modernization: Enhanced Controls Could Help GAO Ensure Decisions Are Documented and Stakeholders Are Fully Informed

A GAO Inspector General audit found that in 2021 the Government Accountability Office paid $1 million to build a five-year IT modernization plan projected to cost $29 million in initiatives. Less than 18 months later, GAO abandoned that plan for an 'ongoing modernization strategy' — a decision made with so little documentation that current officials couldn't explain why it happened. The agency also failed to track costs cleanly, burying smaller initiatives inside larger project budgets so total spending can't be easily determined.

As of May 2026, GAO reports 39 of 61 initiatives completed, a figure offered with the same confidence as the rest of its cost accounting. GAO 'concurred' with the OIG's recommendations to document decisions and track costs properly going forward, which is bureaucratic for 'yes, we should probably write things down.'

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