{"database": "openregs", "table": "gao_reports", "rows": [["GAO-26-107919", "Telecommunications: GSA Should Assess Agencies\u2019 Effectiveness at Preventing Service Disruptions", "2026-08-31", "GAO-26-107919", null, null, "What GAO Found\n\nThe General Services Administration (GSA) is responsible for ensuring that federal agencies have access to telecommunications services. Six agencies GAO selected to review recently completed their transitions from expired, legacy telecommunications contracts to the replacement Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) contract. However, their transitions were delayed by more than three years past GSA\u2019s September 2022 revised deadline. Due to continued delays, GSA took actions to extend the service period of the legacy contracts until May 2026 at the latest to avoid service disruptions. The delays exposed the agencies to price increases due to the ability of vendors to raise prices during the extended service periods and the phasing out of legacy telecommunications technologies. In particular, there was a total 206 percent price increase from February to March 2025 for the selected agencies\u2019 Networx contracts\u2014the largest of the legacy contracts.\n\nAmount Billed for Selected Agencies\u2019 Legacy Networx Contracts in February 2025 and March 2025\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAgency\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tFebruary 2025 costs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMarch 2025 costs\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tPercent change\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of Agriculture\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$227,986.93\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$543,645.43\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t138%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of Commerce\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$1,768,695.34\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$5,761,127.10\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t226%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of Defense\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$4,842,079.74\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$15,012,896.07\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t210%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of Homeland Security\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$5,855,206.65\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$16,853,049.42\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t188%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of the Interior\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$399,435.26\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$1,858,077.70\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t365%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tDepartment of Transportation\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$282,652.93\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$896,799.13\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t217%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tTotal\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$13,376,056.85\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t$40,925,594.85\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t206%\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\n\nSource: GAO analysis of billing data provided by the General Services Administration. | GAO-26-107919\n\nNote: Agencies\u2019 increases varied due to prevalence of legacy telecommunication technologies.\n\nThe six agencies collectively identified 21 factors that contributed to their transition delays. The most commonly reported factors included performance issues with EIS vendors, the COVID-19 pandemic, and legacy connections. For example, officials from four selected agencies identified supply chain disruptions and staffing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nThree of the six agencies identified and mitigated risks related to over half of their cited delay factors. Further, GSA and the six agencies were inconsistent in identifying and mitigating the risk of service disruptions due to missed final deadlines. For example, two of the six agencies\u2019 related risks were either closed (i.e., resolved) or did not specify the final 2026 deadlines.\n\nGSA does not currently know whether all selected agencies experienced service disruptions due to these inconsistent risk mitigation efforts. This is because, among other reasons, GSA is not notified whether a replacement service was in place before an expiring legacy service was disconnected. GSA has begun planning for the follow-on to EIS but has not determined which agencies had disruptions, if there were any impacts, and the effectiveness of any mitigation efforts. Until GSA determines the success of agencies\u2019 mitigation efforts, it will be missing key information that could help inform the next transition and ultimately prevent excess costs and delays going forward.\n\nWhy GAO Did This Study\n\nGSA was responsible for successfully managing 221 agencies\u2019 transitions from expired legacy telecommunications contracts to the replacement contract: EIS. Agencies\u2019 transitions to EIS were marked with significant delays, prompting GSA to extend the deadlines of the expiring legacy contracts multiple times. The final deadline was May 31, 2026.\n\nGAO was asked to review federal agencies\u2019 efforts to transition to EIS. This report (1) describes the status and cost implications of selected agencies' efforts to transition to EIS, (2) identifies key factors that selected agencies reported contributing to delays in transitioning, and (3) determines the extent to which these agencies and GSA mitigated risks related to the identified delay factors and the risk of missing final transition deadlines.\n\nGAO reviewed transition billing data and interviewed agency officials to identify transition status and key delay factors. GAO also analyzed risk management documentation from GSA, as well as six agencies that had a significant amount of transition work remaining as of September 2024: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, the Interior, and Transportation.", null, null, null, null, null, null, null, "https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107919", null]], "columns": ["package_id", "title", "date_issued", "report_number", "document_type", "doc_class", "abstract", "subjects", "public_laws", "usc_references", "statute_references", "citation", "pdf_url", "html_url", "detail_url", "sudocs"], "primary_keys": ["package_id"], "primary_key_values": ["GAO-26-107919"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.3193499978806358, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}