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Summary

Flight service stations (FSS) provide general aviation pilots with aeronautical information such as weather briefings, flight planning assistance, and notices such as runway closures at airports and temporary flight restrictions. These services are provided free of charge to users and are intended to help promote safe flight operations.

In February 2005, FAA awarded a 5-year, fixed-price incentive contract with 5 option years to transition its 58 FSSs to contractor operations. By outsourcing these facilities, FAA anticipated cost savings of approximately $2 billion over the 10-year life of the contract. In 2007, we reported that FAA had implemented effective controls over the initial transition of the FSSs to contractor operations. However, we noted that FAA needed to improve controls for items such as monitoring contractor staffing levels, training, and customer complaints. The current contract will expire in March 2016, and FAA intends to competitively bid a new contract. We are initiating this audit to determine whether the Agency achieved the original contract’s anticipated cost savings and instituted effective controls to oversee the program. Our objectives are to (1) determine whether FAA achieved the original contract’s anticipated cost savings, and (2) assess FAA’s oversight of the program.