Report: Fairness and Contracting Integrity in NASA's Space Communications Networks Services Competition

"Committee staff received several allegations about contract misconduct by the management and acquisitions staff of the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). These all related to large support contracts managed out of the Center. Many of the allegations were tied to the current Space Communications Networks Services (SCNS) contract competition. After a thorough review of the materials provided to the Committee by NASA and others and many interviews by Committee staff of both current and former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employees, contractor employees involved in the SCNS competition from ITT, Honeywell and outside consulting firms, and discussions with contract law specialists at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service, we believe that staff at GSFC have engaged in conduct that is inconsistent with either the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or the agencys own rules. The result is that the SCNS competition has been skewed in such a fashion that, at a minimum, creates the appearance of the agency favoring one bidder over another."