Author Description

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Host Computer Program, which is intended to support the nation's air traffic control, to determine whether the two vendors' proposed systems would provide adequate information on which to base a production decision. GAO found that: (1) FAA performance testing was not in accordance with established guidelines and did not provide convincing evidence that either vendor's proposed system could meet operationally realistic work loads; (2) proceeding to production without sufficient information could require additional time and money to provide a system that performs as required; (3) FAA did not adequately document its planning and monitoring actions during design competition or adequately monitor performance testing; and (4) the air traffic control software enhancements intended to improve air safety and efficiency were not ready when the design competition phase testing took place.