Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. form letter to constituent, 1999?

Thank you for communicating your views regarding the Commercial Activity (CA) studies being conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG). Your concerns on this issue are very important to me. As you may know, many civilian positions at APG and Aberdeen Test Center (АТС) are being reviewed under the CA process. Commercial Activity studies are management tools first implemented by the Office of Management and Budget in the 1950's to improve performance and reduce the cost of performing commercial support services by in-house employees or contractors. The authority to conduct CA studies was written into law in 1988. CA studies help ensure the mission is being performed by the most efficient and effective source— either in-house or by a contractor. This enables the Army to retain needed capability at the lowest cost to taxpayers. I advocate lean and efficient government and believe the CA process is a tool which can be used to this end. Now that the country has utilized the CA process for a reasonable period of time, I believe it would be wise to inquire as to its success and limitations. This year, as part of the defense appropriations bill, Congress documented a need to analyze the CA process, the House of Representatives and Senate believes the CA process appears to have created serious oversight problems especially in the areas of financial management and other administrative functions. The Department of Defense is possibly moving toward a situation in which contractors are overseeing and paying one another with little government oversight or supervision. Because of these irregularities, the Secretary of Defense must deliver within 90 days of the defense appropriation bill passage, a report of each CA study since 1995. This report will include the name of the contractor performing the work, the cost to perform the missions or functions at the time the review was conducted, and the current cost. I believe this study will demonstrate if the CA process is working. I have recently written to the Secretary of Army concerning the many serious questions and allegations raised regarding the last CA study. The Secretary must conduct a thorough investigation at the highest levels of the Department of the Army into this Commercial Activity Study to assure propriety, fairness, and accuracy before any changes are made in the workforce structure at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The importance of APG and its employees to the national defense mission of the United States cannot be overstated. I will fight to preserve APG, the various tenant commands, and the military and civilian jobs located there. Once again thank you for your views. Please contact me in the future, if I can be of additional assistance. Very truly yours. C Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Member of Congress