United States Government Accountability Office

GAO Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on the 

Legislative Branch, Committee on 

Appropriations, U.S. Senate 

CAPITOL VISITOR 

CENTER 

Update on Status of 

Project’s Schedule and Cost 

As of August 2, 2006 

Statement of Terrell Dorn, Director 

Bernard L. Ungar, Director 

Physical Infrastructure Issues 

For Release on Delivery

Expected at 10:30 a.m. EDT 

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

 

GAO-06-828T 
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: 

We are pleased to be here today to assist the Subcommittee in monitoring 

progress on the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) project. Our remarks will 

focus on the Architect of the Capitol’s (AOC) progress in achieving 

selected project milestones and in managing the project’s schedule since

the Subcommittee’s June 28, 2006, hearing on the project.1

 As part of this 

discussion, we will address a number of key challenges and risks that 

continue to face the project, as well as actions AOC has taken or plans to 

take to address these risks. In addition, we will discuss the status of the 

project’s costs and funding. 

Our remarks today are based on our review of schedules and financial 

reports for the CVC project and related records maintained by AOC and its 

construction management contractor, Gilbane Building Company; our 

observations on the progress of work at the CVC construction site; and our 

discussions with the CVC team (AOC and its major CVC contractors), 

AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, and representatives from the U.S. Capitol 

Police, the General Services Administration, and the Office of Compliance. 

We also reviewed AOC’s construction management contractor’s periodic 

schedule assessments and daily reports on the progress of interior wall 

and floor stonework. 

In summary: 

Since the Subcommittee’s June 28 CVC hearing, the CVC team has 

continued to move the project’s construction forward, and the project’s 

overall targeted completion dates have remained about the same as we 

reported at that hearing. However, risks have materialized, especially in 

connection with the CVC’s fire protection system, and a number of 

important activities have been delayed, lessening our confidence in the 

likelihood of the CVC’ team’s meeting the targeted completion dates. We 

will reassess the project’s schedule and monitor the team’s progress in 

achieving effective management control over the CVC’s fire protection 

system work during the next several weeks and report our results to the 

Subcommittee in September. 

 1

GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Update on Status of Project’s Schedule and Cost as of June 

28, 2006, GA0-06-827T (Washington, D.C.: June 28, 2006). 

Page 1 GAO-06-828T 
• During the past month, work on the project has progressed in a number of 

areas. For example, chilled water began flowing from the Capitol Power 

Plant to the CVC this week, and the sequence 2 contractor expects to have

dehumidified air in the exhibit gallery by around mid-August. In addition, 

critical interior wall and floor stone installation has continued, together 

with other interior and exterior construction work. Almost all of the 

interior wall stone for the CVC itself (excluding the atrium areas, the East

Front, and the tunnels) is now installed. 

• A number of problems have developed in connection with the CVC’s fire 

protection system, which we now consider to be the single greatest source 

of risk to meeting the project’s scheduled completion dates. Although the 

overall schedule for completing this system has not slipped since the 

Subcommittee’s last CVC hearing, some activities have been delayed, and 

the team continues to encounter new issues or “surprises” with the fire 

protection system. The CVC’s fire protection system has not yet been fully 

approved, and a significant problem with the installation of one of the 

system’s components was recently identified. Although this problem has 

been resolved, communication and management issues surfaced that 

could further affect work on the system if they are not effectively resolved

quickly. In addition, critical building systems still have to be 

commissioned and tested, and certain design or work scope elements are

still incomplete or are being clarified, refined, or changed, even though the 

project’s overall design is essentially complete. 

• Several activities important to the CVC’s completion, such as East Front 

work, have been delayed since the Subcommittee’s last CVC hearing. 

During the last 5 weeks, the sequence 2 contractor exceeded its target for 

interior floor stone installation but again fell short of its target for interior

wall stone installation. In addition, the sequence 2 contractor met only 2 of

the 8 milestones we have been tracking for this hearing. Although this 

contractor’s monthly billings were higher in June than in May, the trend in 

billings continues to indicate that construction work is more likely to be 

completed closer to AOC’s new target dates than its previous ones. 

• AOC’s schedule provides additional time to complete work after 

construction work is scheduled to be done. This additional time will give 

AOC some leeway, if necessary, to address risks and uncertainties such as 

those associated with complex building systems and trade stacking, 

should it occur. The CVC’s complex heating, air conditioning, and 

ventilation (HVAC); fire protection; and security systems have to work 

together as well as separately, and uncertainties associated with each 

could affect the schedules for all. During the past month, the sequence 2 

contractor has continued work on its area-by-area plans to prevent trade 

Page 2 GAO-06-828T 
stacking2

 during finish work. In our reassessment of the project’s schedule, 

we will determine whether the additional time AOC has scheduled is likely 

to be sufficient to address these and other risks and uncertainties. AOC’s 

construction management contractor has not yet completed its 

reassessment of the schedule but expects to have it done shortly. 

We previously estimated that the total cost to complete the entire CVC 

project would be about $556 million without an allowance for risks and 

uncertainties and $584 million with such an allowance. To date, about $530 

million3

 has been provided for CVC construction. AOC and its construction 

management contractor have completed their reassessments of the cost to

complete the project and believe that sufficient funding will be available 

except for potential delay-related costs, assuming that AOC receives about 

$26 million in fiscal year 2007 appropriations for CVC construction. This is

the amount our previous cost-to-complete estimate showed would be 

necessary without provision for risks and uncertainties. We have not

increased our $556 million estimate (which includes this $26 million) to 

reflect recent events. The results of our reassessment of the cost to 

complete the project, which we expect to have by mid-September, will 

include an assessment of the impact of these events. Although we 

anticipate that our $556 million estimate is likely to increase, we have no

specific indication at this time that the cost to complete the entire project 

will exceed our $584 million estimate, which does include an allowance 

for risks and uncertainties, such as potential delay-related costs. In 

addition, as we have previously indicated, AOC preliminarily expects to 

need about $950,000 in fiscal year 2007 AOC general administration 

appropriations to pay for the contractual support needed to complete 

acceptance testing of the facility’s fire protection system in time to meet 

the project’s schedule. AOC plans to determine if it can reduce the amount 

needed for this contractual support; we will keep the Subcommittee 

apprised of this situation. 

 2

Trade stacking can occur when workers from different trades, such as stone masons, 

electricians, plumbers, or plasterers, have to work in the same area at the same time to 

meet a schedule, sometimes making it difficult to ensure sufficient space and resources for 

concurrent work. 

3

Since our last CVC testimony, the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations 

approved an AOC request to reprogram about $1 million from CVC operations funding to 

CVC construction. We have not reflected this reprogramming in our cost-to-complete 

estimates or funding figures above, but will include this change, as well any other changes 

we believe are appropriate, in our next CVC testimony. 

Page 3 GAO-06-828T 
The proposed completion and opening dates in the CVC project’s schedule 

have remained about the same since the Subcommittee’s last CVC hearing, 

and work on the project has continued to progress, but risks have 

materialized, delaying several important activities and threatening the 

project’s current schedule. Most important, a problem with a component 

of the fire protection system was identified and has now been resolved. At 

this time, the problem seems to have greater implications for the project’s 

cost than for its schedule, but the underlying management control issues 

that it reveals could adversely affect the schedule, even though AOC has 

agreed to take actions that we suggested to enhance its management 

control over the design and completion of the fire protection system. In 

addition, risks have led to problems in a number of areas, such as the 

HVAC systems, the gift shops, and the exhibit gallery, causing delays in 

these activities and increasing the risk of delay for the project as a whole. 

For example, the proposed opening of the exhibit gallery was deferred 

about 3 months—to June 29, 2007—after the team learned that it must 

have a certificate of occupancy before the artifacts for display can be 

delivered and installed. The indicators of progress that we have been 

tracking for the Subcommittee showed mixed results during June, but the 

improvements in some are not sufficient to offset our concerns about the 

risks and uncertainties and delays. Overall, we have diminished 

confidence in the likelihood that the team will be able to meet its currently 

proposed opening dates. As noted, we plan to reassess the project’s 

schedule and report our results to the Subcommittee in September. 

According to the June 2006 project schedule, the base CVC project will be 

completed in May 2007 (except for the exhibit gallery) and the House and 

Senate expansion spaces will be completed in August 2007. These dates 

are about the same as those indicated in the May 2006 schedule. Moreover, 

according to both schedules, the base project will be opened in July 2007 

and the expansion spaces will be opened in August 2007—time frames that 

AOC believes will accommodate possible additional delays and allow startup time for operations. 

According to the June 2006 schedule, most of the physical construction 

work in the CVC, the East Front, and the expansion spaces will be 

completed by December 31, 2006; however, some work extends into 

2007—as far as April 2007 for the exhibit gallery and March 2007 for the 

gift shops, certain East Front mechanical work, and the installation of 

wayfinding signage. Certain other construction work, such as the 

completion of space for the Capitol guide service, East Front finish work, 

and seating installation in the auditorium, also extends into 2007. Neither 

Proposed Completion 

and Opening Dates 

Have Held Steady and 

Construction Has 

Progressed, but Risks 

and Delays Threaten 

the Project’s Current 

Schedule 

AOC’s Proposed 

Completion and Opening 

Dates Have Remained 

about the Same 

Page 4 GAO-06-828T 
the CVC nor the expansion spaces can be opened until the Chief Fire 

Marshal has completed acceptance testing for the fire protection and life 

safety systems, now scheduled for May 2007 for the CVC and August 2007 

for the expansion spaces. The Chief Fire Marshal plans to issue a 

temporary certificate of occupancy for the CVC’s base building when he 

completes his testing of it and a final certificate after he completes his 

testing of the expansion spaces and limited retesting of the CVC’s base 

building. AOC believes that it may be able to shorten some of the time 

scheduled for testing the fire protection system and that it may be able to

open segments of the expansion spaces earlier than August 2007. As we 

have discussed in previous CVC testimonies, AOC is continuing to explore 

this possibility. 

According to information provided by AOC and its construction 

management contractor and our observations, work on the project has 

advanced, in terms of both the dollar value of the work in place and 

individual project elements. In dollar terms, AOC’s construction 

management contractor reported that, as of June 30, the overall CVC 

project was about 84 percent complete and the sequence 2 work was 

about 74 percent complete—up from about 82 percent and 71 percent, 

respectively, as of May 31. Progress on individual project elements 

includes the following: 

Construction Work Is 

Progressing 

• Interior CVC work has moved forward, according to AOC’s construction 

management and sequence 2 contractors. For example, the chilled water 

systems were flushed, and chilled water began flowing from the Capitol 

Power Plant to the CVC this week. The sequence 2 contractor expects to 

have dehumidified air in the exhibit gallery by around mid-August. In 

addition, the sequence 2 contractor has installed about 95 percent of the 

floor stone in the exhibit gallery and has installed about half of the floor 

stone in the great hall. Millwork in the south orientation theater has begun; 

bulkheads were being hung and finished; and the installation of kitchen 

wall and floor tile was substantially completed on the lower level. On the 

upper level and in the auditorium, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing 

rough-ins were substantially completed. Furthermore, the CVC team and 

AOC’s Fire Marshal Division have continued resolving issues associated 

with the CVC’s fire protection system. 

• Surface work continued, including the installation of (1) stone pavers 

above the CVC, (2) stone steps on the concrete base slab between and 

around the trees planted alongside the auditorium, and (3) the skylight 

structure in the north opening above the great hall. Work on the House 

Page 5 GAO-06-828T 
connector tunnel has also continued. 

• Wall stone installation has now been fully completed in the food service 

area; all but four pieces have been installed in the great hall; and 

installation has progressed substantially in the East Front basement and 

plaza levels, atriums, and auditorium. As of last week, the sequence 2 

contractor had installed 99 percent of the interior wall stone in the CVC 

itself, excluding the atrium areas, the East Front, and the tunnels. 

• On the East Front exterior, AOC and its construction management 

contractor reported, the center steps have been reinstalled over new 

waterproofing material, and air-handling equipment has been placed on 

the East Front penthouse area. 

• In the House and Senate expansion spaces, progress was made in 

installing and priming drywall; installing mechanical, electrical, and 

plumbing systems; and inspecting wall and ceiling close-ins. 

According to the project’s June 2006 schedule, the completion date for the 

fire protection system has not changed, but for a variety of reasons, we are 

concerned that this system is at significant risk of delay. Moreover, delays

in completing this system could directly affect the CVC’s completion date.

Specifically, the activities associated with the fire protection system now 

constitute the single longest path through the project’s schedule, meaning 

that each day the system’s completion is delayed, the CVC’s completion 

could also be delayed. 

Our analysis indicates that progress on the fire protection system has been 

affected by communication and management issues, despite the team’s 

various efforts to coordinate activities and prevent problems, as well as 

identify and resolve problems. A number of issues or “surprises” have 

occurred, requiring unanticipated changes to the fire protection system, 

the interrelated security system, the schedule, or a combination of these 

elements. The changes include adding control panels for the fire alarm 

system in the expansion spaces, changing the specifications for the 

programming of the fire alarm system, adding activities to the schedule for 

the fire alarm system, and changing the sequence of activities associated 

with the fire alarm system. AOC and its construction management 

contractor have attempted to avoid problems such as these by such means 

as holding biweekly or weekly meetings with the CVC team and AOC’s 

Fire Marshal Division and by meeting with representatives of the U.S. 

Capitol Police when specific security issues arise. In our opinion, these 

Risks Associated with the 

Fire Protection System 

Pose the Greatest 

Challenge to the Project’s

Schedule 

Page 6 GAO-06-828T 
biweekly or weekly meetings—which started in early 2005 and are chaired 

by a senior engineer with AOC’s construction management contractor—

have generally helped to identify and resolve the specific issues being 

addressed. AOC’s weekly risk management meetings have also been 

helpful in identifying and addressing specific risks. However, the U.S. 

Capitol Police, which is responsible for managing the CVC’s security 

system, has not always participated in the fire protection meetings and 

does not participate in the risk management meetings. As a result, 

representatives have not always been present to identify issues associated

with the interface between the security and the fire protection systems. 

Furthermore, some issues have not been addressed because the issues 

have not been included in the meeting agendas or specifically raised. As 

we reported during the Subcommittee’s June 28, 2006, CVC hearing, the 

CVC team has not had a comprehensive, prioritized list of system designs 

that have to be approved by AOC’s Fire Marshal Division. In addition, 

although the team does address various parts of the fire protection system 

during its progress review, fire protection system, and risk management 

meetings the team is just now developing a comprehensive list of the 

system elements that can be used to (1) discuss their status or (2) 

systematically and effectively identify potential or actual problems with 

the design, installation, or testing of all of the system’s components. The 

team is working to develop such lists and expects to complete them 

shortly. The lists should be particularly useful in identifying potential 

issues, including those involving the interface between the security and 

the fire protection systems. 

Notwithstanding the regular meetings between the CVC team and the Fire 

Marshal Division, a problem with a component of the CVC’s fire protection 

system recently arose. This component is being installed as an alternative 

to an approach that was originally planned to provide a level of protection 

specified in the life safety code. Designed to provide an equivalent level of

protection, the alternative approach is necessary because the original one 

could not be accommodated within the CVC’s design. However, according 

to AOC’s Fire Marshal Division, the component—which the sequence 2 

contractor has almost completely installed—would not provide an 

equivalent level of protection because it does not meet a survivability 

standard applicable to the original system. The CVC team and the Fire 

Marshal Division resolved this issue last week, but additional work is 

required and additional costs will be incurred. The exact impact of the 

additional work on the project’s schedule and cost is not yet clear, and 

AOC expects to have more information on both shortly. Moreover, 

although this issue has been resolved, other issues may arise and other 

changes may be required because the design of the fire protection system 

Page 7 GAO-06-828T 
has not yet been fully approved; efforts to resolve open issues for some 

shop drawings have dragged on for several months; installation is still in 

progress; and pretesting and testing of the fire protection system have not

yet begun. 

We have not fully evaluated all of the circumstances surrounding the 

problem with this component of the CVC’s fire protection system. 

However, according to the information we have gathered, issues in at least 

two areas—communication and management—contributed to the 

problem. 

• Communication broke down because certain requirements were not stated

explicitly in writing, assumptions varied, and information was conveyed 

largely through document exchanges rather than meetings, during which 

the unwritten requirements and differences in assumptions could have 

surfaced, leading to earlier resolution of the problem. According to both 

the CVC team and AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal, much of the communication 

problem stemmed from the uniqueness of the CVC and the application of

the component in question and the fact that the situation being addressed 

is not specifically covered in the life safety code and other project-related

documents. 

• Management issues also contributed to the problem with the component, 

despite all the efforts of the CVC team’ and the Fire Marshal Division’ to 

coordinate and successfully address the fire safety issues. The CVC team 

and the Fire Marshall Division have not been able to resolve all issues 

quickly. For example, resolution of the team’s shop drawings and product 

specifications for the fire protection system component in question has 

dragged on for over 9 months and is still not complete. Resolution of the 

Fire Marshal Division’s comments on some other fire protection system 

components is also taking several months, but a recent change in AOC’s 

approach to resolving comments seems to have improved the situation. 

Notably, the Division’s comments on the team’s February 2006 submittal 

for another fire protection system component in the exhibit gallery had

not yet been resolved as of last week. At the same time, though, the CVC 

team has been working aggressively to resolve the Division’s comments on 

the drawings for the base project’s fire alarm system, and recently, at the 

Architect of the Capitol’s direction, the team and the Fire Marshal Division 

have been meeting (as well as exchanging documents) to discuss the 

Division’s comments on the team’s submittal for this system. This process 

appears to be working well. 

During the last 2 weeks, we met with AOC to discuss our concerns about 

the fire protection system and suggested that AOC take immediate steps to

Page 8 GAO-06-828T 
enhance management control over the completion of the fire protection 

system as well as its interface with the CVC’s security system. In 

particular, we believe it is important for AOC to determine immediately 

and on an ongoing basis whether other problems with the design, 

installation, or testing of the fire protection system and its interface with 

the security system could have significant adverse effects on life safety, 

functionality, or the project’s schedule or cost. To complement the team’s

ongoing efforts, which we believe have been quite helpful, we suggested,

and AOC agreed, to have weekly meetings with key CVC team members 

and representatives from AOC’s Fire Marshal Division and the U.S. Capitol 

Police to discuss all elements of the fire protection system and to identify

and resolve any concerns, problems, or issues associated with all aspects 

of the system’s design, installation, pretesting, or final testing, including

any quality, scheduling, or coordination matters, and to focus on 

expeditiously attaining fully approved designs for all aspects of the 

system. In addition, we asked AOC’s Chief Fire Marshal if he could 

develop his plans for acceptance testing of the fire protection system in 

the next few weeks so that the CVC team could factor these plans into its 

work, scheduling, and resource planning. The Chief Fire Marshal agreed 

and said that he has proposed that (1) his Division meet with the CVC 

team and the U.S. Capitol Police to identify potential submission items; (2) 

all submission items be tracked in weekly meetings; and (3) the 

submission items be prioritized for review and resolution. In addition, 

both AOC and a U.S. Capitol Police representative agreed that 

participation by the U.S. Capitol Police in more of the team’s weekly 

meetings should prove helpful. Although it may be impossible to prevent 

all problems or surprises, we believe that these steps, if effectively 

implemented by all parties, can reduce the risks associated with the fire 

protection system’s completion and the system’s interface with the CVC’s 

security system and identify problems early enough to minimize their 

consequences. 

Although the scheduled completion date for the CVC has remained about 

the same as we reported at the Subcommittee’s June 28 hearing, problems 

in a number of areas have either delayed or could delay activities whose 

late completion could adversely affect the project’s overall completion. 

For example, according to the construction management contractor, the 

date for the air-handling units to be mechanically ready slipped by 2 weeks 

because of further problems in completing tunnel pipe insulation work, 

and efforts to close in the ceiling in the upper-level orientation and 

security lobby slipped by 3 weeks because of problematic sequence 1 

work that required remediation. According to the project’s June schedule, 

Other Risks Have 

Materialized, Delaying 

Activities Important to the 

Project’s Completion 

Page 9 GAO-06-828T 
additional delays in these activities of 15 and 25 workdays, respectively, 

could further delay the project’s overall completion. In addition, a delay of

as little as 2 workdays in completing the gift shops—whose design, AOC 

says, has now been agreed upon—could affect the project’s overall 

completion date. As we will discuss later in our testimony, several other 

activities that are important to meeting the CVC’s May 2007 scheduled 

completion date have also been delayed. 

Several activities important to completing the House and Senate 

expansion spaces have also been delayed since the Subcommittee’s last 

CVC hearing. For example, AOC’s construction management contractor 

reported design-related delays of about a month each in activities 

involving a custom light fixture, a concrete ramp, and a special fire 

suppression system. Furthermore, the sequence 2 subcontractor doing the 

expansion work identified other concerns that could delay the completion

of its work, some of which could affect the CVC’s opening. For example, 

the subcontractor reported being instructed to stop certain work in the 

U.S.Capitol Police’s command center pending the resolution of an issue 

involving the facility’s fire protection system. The subcontractor also 

reported that a lack of humidity controls, caused by the delay in getting 

the air-handling units operational, could delay certain casework and 

ceiling tile installation. 

Finally, although not critical to the CVC’s opening, work being done to 

connect the Library of Congress’s Jefferson building to the tunnel linking it

with the CVC may fall behind by as much as 53 calendar days because of

an asbestos problem. However, the contractor believes that it may be able

to recover some of this time after the asbestos abatement work is 

completed. 

The four indicators of construction progress that we have been tracking 

for the Subcommittee show mixed results since the Subcommittee’s June 

28 CVC hearing. An update on these indicators follows: 

Sequence 2 contractor has continued to miss most milestones. Starting 

with the Subcommittee’s June 2005 CVC hearing, at the Subcommittee’s 

request, we and AOC have been selecting and tracking sequence 2 

milestones to help the Subcommittee monitor construction progress. 

These milestones include activities that were either on the project’s 

critical path or that we and AOC believe are critical to the project’s timely 

completion. As figure 1 shows, the sequence 2 contractor has generally

missed these milestones. For today’s hearing, the contractor met 2 of the 8 

Indicators of Construction 

Progress Show Mixed 

Results 

Page 10 GAO-06-828T 
milestones that were due to be completed, according to the project’s June 

2006 schedule, and for both, the work was completed ahead of schedule. 

However, the contractor was late in meeting 2 other milestones and had 

not met the remaining 4 milestones as of July 31. (See app. I.) The 

sequence 2 contractor attributed the slippages to a number of factors, 

including the need to do remedial or other work first, the work itself or 

necessary preceding work taking longer than expected, and a

resequencing of work by the contractor. 

Figure 1: Sequence 2 Contractor’s Progress in Meeting Selected Milestones as of

CVC Hearing Dates 

In total, AOC’s construction management contractor reported delays in 17 

of 24 critical and near-critical paths that AOC’s construction management 

contractor identified as important to meeting the base project’s overall 

Number

0

5

10

15

20

August, 2006

April, 2006

May, 2006

June, 2006

March, 2006

February, 2006

November, 2005

October, 2005

September, 2005

July, 2005

June, 2005

Hearing date

Number of milestones completed on time

Number of milestones completed late

Number of milestones not completed

Source: Sequence 2 contractor, AOC and its construction management contractor, and GAO.

Page 11 GAO-06-828T 
completion date.4

 According to AOC’s construction management 

contractor, delays occurred in, but were not limited to, the utility tunnel, 

East Front, orientation theaters, exhibit gallery, certain elevator 

installations, the upper level assembly room, the atrium, and the Library of 

Congress tunnels. According to the CVC team, these other delays were 

attributable to such factors as water leaks, deficient sequence 1 work, 

changes in the sequence of work activities by the sequence 2 contractor, 

the need to do lead abatement work, and inaccessible work areas. Even 

more important than the individual delays themselves, however, is their 

likely impact on the CVC team’s ability to complete construction work on 

schedule. So many activities have fallen behind schedule that relatively 

short additional delays could push the CVC’s overall completion date 

further back. The number of critical and near-critical paths increased from

23 in the project’s May schedule to 24 in the June schedule, and a number 

of the activities that slipped in June had also slipped in the May schedule. 

Value of completed work increased in June, but trend continues to 

indicate completion in late spring or summer of 2007. Another indicator 

of construction progress that we and AOC’s construction management 

contractor have been tracking is the value of the completed construction 

work billed to the government each month. Although the sequence 2 

contractor’s billings for June were about $2.2 million higher than for May, 

both we and the construction management contractor believe that, overall, 

the sequence 2 contractor’s monthly billings, including the bills for March 

through June 2006, indicate that AOC is more likely to finish closer to its 

currently scheduled completion dates than its previously scheduled 

completion dates. While this indicator has some limitations (for example,

billings lag behind construction), it is generally regarded in the 

construction industry as a useful measure of how likely a project is to be 

completed on time. Figure 2 compares the sequence 2 contractor’s billings 

since May 2003 with the billings needed to complete construction work on 

schedule and indicates that the sequence 2 contractor is unlikely to finish

 4

Construction projects typically have one critical path, which is the sequence of activities 

having the longest duration through the schedule. There is no slack time associated with 

these activities, meaning that a delay in a critical path activity will delay the entire project 

unless a way is found to reduce the time required for other activities along the critical path. 

Some projects have multiple critical paths simultaneously; in practice, the CVC had what 

essentially amounted to two concurrent critical paths in May—(1) acceptance testing of the 

fire protection system and (2) fit-out of the gift shops. In June, there was one critical 

path—acceptance testing of the fire protection system. Generally, the more critical and 

near-critical activities a project has, the greater is the risk of late completion because there

are more opportunities for slight delays that can adversely affect the project’s completion. 

Page 12 GAO-06-828T 
the project until at least late spring or summer 2007 unless the value of 

completed work increases significantly and is sustained at the increased

level. We believe that such a significant increase will be difficult, given the 

limited number of areas that will be ready for finish work at any given 

time. 

Figure 2: Total Billings by the Sequence 2 Contractor for the Entire CVC Project Compared with the Billings Needed to Finish 

Construction Work on Schedule

Dollars (in millions)

Month

Range of billings needed to finish on schedule

Target billings (range average)

Actual billings

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Billings based on early finish dates in schedule 

Billings based on late finish dates in schedule 

0

50

100

150

200

250

December 2006

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007

November 2006

October 2006

September 2006

August 2006

July 2006

April 2006

May 2006

June 2006

March 2006

February 2006

January 2006

December 2005

November 2005

October 2005

September 2005

August 2005

July 2005

April 2005

May 2005

June 2005

March 2005

February 2005

January 2005

December 2004

November 2004

October 2004

September 2004

August 2004

July 2004

April 2004

May 2004

June 2004

March 2004

February 2004

January 2004

November 2

December 2003

003

October 2003

September 2003

August 2003

July 2003

May 2003

June 2003

Notes: 

Page 13 GAO-06-828T 
1. The early and late lines on this figure reflect the cumulative billings that would be required to 

complete the project through contract modification number 110 ($226.8 million total contact value) by 

the early and late finish dates shown in the sequence 2 contractor’s schedule, which is based on the 

September 2006 contractual completion date. 

2. The actual line reflects the sequence 2 contractor’s actual monthly billings. 

3. Although bills are typically submitted for payment after work is completed, it is often likely that 

construction work will be completed on schedule when the actual billing line falls between the early 

and late lines in the figure. With respect to the CVC, the actual billing line has been trending below, 

and in March 2006 went below, the late finish line, where it remained through June 2006. Even with 

the lag in billings, this trend indicates that the amount of work being completed each month is not 

sufficient to finish the project by the previously scheduled completion date. 

Interior wall stone installation is taking longer than expected, but floor 

stone installation exceeded target. Overall, about 84 percent of the CVC’s 

interior wall stone has been installed (in the CVC, East Front, atrium 

areas, and tunnels), according to AOC’s construction management 

contractor, and the sequence 2 contractor installed 2,890 pieces of interior 

wall stone during the last 5 weeks, about 61 percent of its 4,736 piece 

production target. During the same period, the sequence 2 contractor 

installed about 7,130 square feet of floor stone, or about 5 percent more 

than the 6,770 square feet specified in the floor stone installation plan that

the contractor recently provided to AOC. In addition, 2 of the 8 schedule

milestones that we and AOC have been tracking for the Subcommittee for 

today’s hearing are related to interior wall stone installation, and the 

sequence 2 contractor completed work for one ahead of schedule, but has 

not yet completed the other one, according to AOC’s construction 

management contractor. Although the sequence 2 contractor made good 

progress in installing interior wall stone in the base project, it encountered 

delays in installing wall stone in the East Front and atrium areas. 

According to the construction management contractor, the East Front 

delays were attributable to a need for remedial, preparatory, and lead 

abatement work, and the atrium delays were attributable to the need to do 

remedial work and a decision by the sequence 2 contractor to resequence

work affecting those areas. 

Figures 3 and 4 show the sequence 2 contractor’s progress in installing 

interior wall and floor stone since January 23 and February 13, 2006, 

respectively.

Page 14 GAO-06-828T 
Figure 3: Progress of CVC Interior Wall Stone Installation Compared with Targets Set by the Sequence 2 Contractor

Number of wall stones

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Week

Target for number of wall stones installed

Actual number of wall stones installed

Week of 

June 12, 2006

Week of 

June 5, 2006

Week of 

May 29, 2006

Week of 

May 22, 2006

Week of May 15, 2006

Week of May 8, 2006

Week of 

May 1, 2006

Week of April 24, 2006

Week of April 17, 2006

Week of April 10, 2006

Week of April 3, 2006

Week of March 27, 2006

Week of 

March 20, 2006

Week of March 13, 2006

Week of 

March 6, 2006

Week of 

February 27, 2006

Week of 

February 20, 2006

Week of 

February 13, 2006

Week of February 6, 2006

Week of January 30, 2006

Week of 

January 23, 2006

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

Week of 

July 24, 2006

Week of 

July 17, 2006

Week of July 10, 2006

Week of July 3, 2006

Week of June 26, 2006

Week of 

June 19, 2006

Page 15 GAO-06-828T 
Figure 4: Progress of CVC Interior Floor Stone Installation Compared with Preliminary Targets Set by the Sequence 2 

Contractor

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Target for square footage of floor stones installed

Actual square footage of floor stones installed

Square footage installed

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Week of June 12, 2006

Week of June 5, 2006

Week of May 29, 2006

Week of May 22, 2006

Week of 

May 15, 2006

Week of May 8, 2006

Week of 

May 1, 2006

Week of April 24, 2006

Week of April 

Week of 

17, 2006

April 

Week of 

10, 2006

April 

Week of 

3, 2006

March 27, 2006

Week of March 20, 2006

Week of March 13, 2006

Week of March 6, 2006

Week of February 27, 2006

Week of 

February 20, 2006

Week of 

February 13, 2006

Week of Februar

Week of 

y 6, 2006

January 30, 2006

Week of January 23, 2006

Week of July 24, 2006

Week of July 17, 2006

Week of July 10, 2006

Week of July 3, 2006

Week of June 26, 2006

Week of June 19, 2006

0 0

Project’s Schedule 

Remains Vulnerable to 

Challenges, Risks, and 

Uncertainties 

As we have indicated during the Subcommittee’s previous CVC hearings, 

we believe that the CVC team continues to face challenges, risks, and 

uncertainties in completing the project. In our view, the remaining work 

associated with the fire protection system poses the greatest single risk to 

meeting AOC’s July and August 2007 proposed opening dates. At this time, 

we are uncertain whether the 2 to 3 months that AOC has added to the 

schedule for addressing the challenges, risks, and uncertainties that 

continue to face the project—including the fire protection system—will be 

sufficient, particularly given the project’s history of delays, the difficulties

the CVC team has encountered in getting effective control over the fire 

protection system, and the large number of near-critical activities that can 

affect the project’s overall completion if they incur relatively short 

additional delays. Accordingly, we plan to monitor the actions taken by the 

Page 16 GAO-06-828T 
CVC team to enhance its control over the completion of the fire protection 

system, reassess the project’s schedule this summer, and report our results 

to the Subcommittee by mid-September 2006. A brief update follows on 

the challenges, risks, and uncertainties the CVC team continues to face

and the team’s plans for addressing them: 

• Complex building systems remain a significant risk. The CVC will house 

complex building systems, including HVAC, fire protection, and security 

systems. These systems not only have to perform well individually, but 

their operation also has to be integrated. If the CVC team encounters any 

significant problems with them, either separately or together, during the

resolution of design issues, installation, commissioning, or testing, the 

project could be seriously delayed. The risks and uncertainties associated 

with the fire protection system are apparent: the shop drawings for some 

elements of the system have not yet been approved; installation has begun, 

and issues other than the problem we discussed earlier may require 

resolution. In addition, the process for testing the system is not yet clear; 

the time needed to complete these activities is uncertain, and the fire 

protection system must work in tandem with the security system. The 

unanticipated problems that emerged in reviewing the design of the fire 

alarm system and in programming it illustrate the impact such problems 

can have on the project’s schedule. Additional delays could occur if the 

team takes longer than expected to get approved shop drawings, if the 

proposed system does not meet the project’s design specifications or the 

life safety code, or if the fire protection system does not work effectively 

with the security system.5

 Additionally, the Chief Fire Marshal noted that 

delays could occur if the CVC team does not adequately pretest the system 

and correct any problems found during the pretesting. On March 23, AOC’s 

commissioning contractor submitted its plan for testing the performance 

of the CVC’s smoke control system, which is a critical component of the 

CVC’s fire protection system and must work properly before the CVC can 

be opened to the public. As of July 27, this plan had not yet been submitted 

to or approved by the Fire Marshal Division. Moreover, as we have 

previously noted, the Chief Fire Marshal’s timely completion of the fire 

protection system’s acceptance testing depends on his ability to obtain 

sufficient funding for a contractor to help perform the tests. 

 5

According to the sequence 2 subcontractor that is fitting out the House and Senate 

expansion spaces, the delays in getting approved shop drawings for the fire protection 

system have already postponed ceiling close-ins in the expansion spaces, and AOC believes 

that further such delays, along with possible requests for design changes, pose the greatest 

risks to the completion schedule for the expansion spaces. 

Page 17 GAO-06-828T 
• Trade stacking could delay completion. As we discussed during the 

Subcommittee’s previous CVC hearings, trade stacking could hold up 

finish work, such as drywall or ceiling installation, electrical and plumbing 

work, plastering, or floor stone installation. This work could be stacked 

because of delays in wall stone installation. Trade stacking could also 

increase the risk of accidents and injuries. Hence, it remains important, as 

we said at previous CVC hearings, for the CVC team to closely monitor 

construction to identify potential trade stacking and promptly take steps 

to address it. The CVC team has also identified trade stacking as a high 

risk. The sequence 2 contractor has developed plans that show when 

various subcontractors will be working in each area of the CVC except the 

East Front, which the sequence 2 contractor does not expect to be ready 

for finish work for several weeks. According to the sequence 2 contractor, 

it intends to continue meeting regularly with its subcontractors to review 

and update the area plans and to have the area plan for the East Front 

done before finish work begins there. According to the sequence 2 

contractor, its area-by-area plans have prevented trade stacking to date. 

• Building design and work scope continue to evolve. The CVC has 

undergone a number of design and work scope changes. Since the 

Subcommittee’s June 28 CVC hearing, AOC’s architectural contractor has 

issued nine design changes or clarifications. As of July 27, 2006, this 

contractor reported, another eight were in process. In addition, since the 

project began, AOC has executed about 100 sequence 2 contract 

modifications for work that was not anticipated.6

 Some of these changes, 

such as changes in the exhibit gallery and in the East Front, have resulted

in delays. Furthermore, although shop drawings have been approved for 

almost all project elements except the fire protection system, according to

AOC, further design or scope changes in various project elements are 

likely, given the project’s experience to date. In fact, in reporting on the 

June schedule, AOC’s construction management contractor noted that 

anticipated changes to the House expansion space could affect ceiling 

close-ins. Project design and scope changes are typically reflected in the 

development of potential change orders (PCO), many of which result in 

contract modifications. Figure 5 shows the PCOs submitted for 

consideration for sequences 1 and 2 since September 2003. Although PCOs 

are not always approved, they are often regarded as a reasonably good 

indicator of likely future design or scope changes that can affect a 

 6

These data exclude sequence 2 contract modifications for work that was planned but not 

included in the sequence 2 base contract. Examples include the fit-out of the House and 

Senate expansion spaces, the construction of the utility tunnel, and the purchase and 

installation of food service equipment. 

Page 18 GAO-06-828T 
project’s cost and schedule. Even more important, the adverse impact of 

scope and design changes on a project’s schedule is likely to increase as 

the project moves toward completion. For example, changes in the design 

of the gift shops are likely to affect the project’s schedule more adversely 

now than if the changes had been made several months ago. 

Figure 5: Cumulative Number of Potential Change Orders Submitted for CVC Sequences 1 and 2 between September 2003

and June 2006 

Number

Source: AOC’s construction management contractor.

Date

Sequence 1 potential change orders

Sequence 2 potential change orders

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

March 31, 2006

April 30, 2006

May 31, 2006

June 30, 2006

February 28, 2006

January 31, 2006

November 

December 31, 2005

30, 2005

October 31, 2005

September 30, 2005

August 31, 2005

July 31, 2005

June 30, 2005

May 31, 2005

April 30, 2005

March 31, 2005

February 28, 2005

January 31, 2005

December 31, 2004

November 30, 2004

October 31, 2004

September 30, 2004

August 31, 2004

July 31, 2004

May 31,

June 30, 2004

 2004

April 30, 2004

March 31, 2004

February 29, 2004

January 31, 2004

December 31, 2003

November 30, 2003

October 31, 2003

September 30, 2003

As the figure indicates, new PCOs for sequence 1 were submitted until 

shortly before, and even for several months after, November 2004, when 

AOC determined that the sequence 1 contract work was substantially 

complete. Similarly, PCOs for sequence 2 are still being submitted, and we 

have seen no indication that their submission is likely to stop soon. It 

therefore appears likely to us that some of the design or scope changes 

indicated in PCOs could lead to contract modifications that will affect the 

Page 19 GAO-06-828T 
project’s schedule. AOC agrees that it is important to minimize the impact

of proposed design and scope changes. 

Additional delays associated with the CVC’s new utility tunnel have 

resulted, or are likely to result, in additional work or slippages. As we have 

previously testified, the delay in starting up the utility tunnel’s operations 

has necessitated the use of temporary humidity control equipment for the 

orientation theaters to avoid damage to finish work and ceiling tile. 

Moreover, utility tunnel delays could require additional equipment in other 

areas, subject certain work to risk of damage, or delay finish or ceiling 

work in areas not suitable for the use of temporary humidity and 

temperature control equipment. For example, the CVC team installed 

ceiling tile in portions of the great hall to take advantage of the scaffolding 

in place, even though neither the temperature nor the humidity were 

controlled in that area. According to the CVC team, the installed tile could 

be damaged if the temperature or humidity is not within the specified 

levels. The CVC team has completed the preparatory work necessary to

begin running chilled water through the CVC utility tunnel and expects to 

have steam running through the tunnel by mid-August. The team expects 

to have the first air-handling unit—which serves the exhibit gallery—

providing dehumidified air to the exhibit gallery by mid-August. To keep

the CVC and expansion space finish work on schedule, the team will have 

to either get the other air-handling units operational within the necessary 

time frames or obtain temporary equipment to provide conditioned air, 

where feasible. 

• Opening the CVC and expansion spaces at different times is likely to 

result in a temporary cap on CVC occupancy and could increase costs. 

AOC’s current plan to open the CVC in July 2007 before the expansion 

spaces are scheduled for completion is likely to result in a temporary cap 

on CVC visitor occupancy and may necessitate the construction of 

temporary emergency exits for fire and life safety protection.7

 AOC is 

proposing this sequential approach because it believes that conducting 

acceptance testing for the fire protection system for the CVC and the 

expansion spaces concurrently would delay opening the CVC to the public. 

AOC’s proposed July 2007 opening date for the CVC depends on the timely

 7

According to AOC, the CVC’s occupancy at any one time would be temporarily limited to 

3,500, compared with about 4,200, the normal anticipated occupancy level, until acceptance

testing of the fire protection system for the expansion spaces has been completed. 

Although AOC anticipates the need for some temporary work, it does not believe that the

associated costs will be substantial. 

Page 20 GAO-06-828T 
completion of work not only on the base project but also on the expansion 

spaces, since certain expansion space work must be completed before the 

CVC’s opening. Because certain work on both the base project and the 

expansion spaces has been delayed during the last several months, we 

believe that it will be especially important to monitor the progress of 

construction to determine what additional work (and funding) may be 

needed to meet AOC’s planned date for opening the CVC, including what 

temporary work may be required in the expansion spaces for the opening

to occur before the expansion space work is completed. AOC’s Chief Fire 

Marshal has not yet worked out the details of how he will conduct his 

acceptance testing for the CVC and the expansion spaces; so the order in 

which various CVC and expansion space areas will be available for 

opening is not yet clear. More information on this sequencing issue should 

be available by the Subcommittee’s next CVC hearing because the Chief 

Fire Marshal expects to have his testing plan done soon. 

• Risks from insufficient stone deliveries appear to be diminishing. 

Although wall stone shortages have caused delays in the past, they have 

not recently been a problem. All of the wall stone for the base project and 

atrium areas has been delivered, and AOC does not anticipate a problem 

with the remaining wall stone deliveries. According to the construction 

management contractor, about 3,700 pieces of wall stone for the East 

Front and all of the wall stone for the tunnels still have to be delivered.

For a time, the sequence 2 contractor did have a problem with the delivery 

of floor stone for the exhibit gallery, but that problem has been resolved, 

and the contractor does not anticipate problems with floor stone 

deliveries for other areas. The sequence 2 subcontractor doing the House 

and Senate expansion space work said that some wall stone for the 

expansion spaces has been delivered, and at this time he does not 

anticipate a delivery problem with the remaining wall stone. 

Finally, as we have said in previous discussions with AOC, its construction 

management contractor, and the Subcommittee, it will be important for 

AOC to have adequate analysis and documentation of the reasons and 

responsibilities for delays.8

 On April 11, 2006, AOC executed a contract 

modification authorizing its construction management contractor to have 

one of its managers who has not been involved in the CVC project assess 

the adequacy of this type of information. The manager submitted his 

report to AOC in early June. He reported generally positive findings but 

 8

See for example: GAO, Capitol Visitor Center: Effective Schedule Management and 

Updated Cost Information Are Important, GAO-05-811T (Washington, D.C.: June 14, 2005).

Page 21 GAO-06-828T 
also identified desired improvements. He made several recommendations 

to AOC, which AOC has generally agreed with and plans to implement 

consistent with the availability of resources. As we have previously stated, 

we believe it is important for AOC to complete its analysis of delays 

expeditiously given the current September 15, 2006, sequence 2 contract 

completion date and the impact this analysis is likely to have on delayrelated costs.

Our most recent estimate of the cost to complete the CVC project was 

made several months ago. At that time, we estimated that the total cost to 

complete the entire CVC project would be about $556 million without an 

allowance for risks and uncertainties and could be as much as about $584 

million with such an allowance. To date, about $530 million9

 has been 

provided for CVC construction. This amount includes about $3.6 million 

that was made available for either CVC construction or operations and has 

been approved for CVC construction by the House and Senate Committees 

on Appropriations.10 AOC and its construction management contractor 

have completed their reassessments of the cost to complete the project 

and have concluded that the amount of funds provided to date plus the $26 

million that AOC hopes to receive in fiscal year 2007 CVC construction 

funds will be sufficient to complete the project except for possible delayrelated costs. (This $26 million in additional funds is the amount our 

previous cost-to-complete estimate showed would be necessary without 

provision for risks and uncertainties.) AOC and its construction 

management contractor acknowledged, however, that in drawing their 

conclusions, they assumed that some funds that have been slated for use 

for possible delay-related costs may have to be used for other purposes, 

thus possibly requiring additional funding for potential delay-related costs. 

As we testified during the Subcommittee’s June 28 CVC hearing, recent 

events have raised questions about the sufficiency of the $556 million costto-complete estimate, given that it does not provide an allowance for risks 

and uncertainties. Although recent events suggest to us that our previous 

$556 million estimate may increase, we have not changed it yet pending 

Estimated Project 

Cost and Funding 

 9

See footnote 3. 

10Public Law 108-447, enacted on December 8, 2004, provided that up to $10.6 million 

(reduced to $10.5 million by a subsequent budget recission of $84,800) could be transferred 

from AOC’s Capitol Building appropriation account for the use of the CVC project. The use 

of the amount transferred is subject to the approval of the House and Senate Committees 

on Appropriations. AOC has now received approval to obligate the entire $10.5 million, 

which we will discuss further in our next CVC testimony.

Page 22 GAO-06-828T 
the results of our reassessment of the cost to complete the project, which 

we expect to have by mid-September. Notwithstanding our pending 

reassessment, we have no specific indication that the total cost to 

complete the project will exceed our $584 million estimate, which does 

include an allowance for risks and uncertainties. 

In addition, AOC has indicated that it plans to use about $950,000 of the 

fiscal year 2007 general administration appropriations it has requested to

provide contractual support for its Fire Marshal Division. As we stated in 

our last several CVC testimonies, AOC believes that it may be able to

reduce the amount of funds it will need in fiscal year 2007 to provide 

contractual support for testing the CVC’s fire protection system and is 

exploring ways to do so. We plan to monitor this situation and report to 

the Subcommittee as soon as AOC has a firmer estimate. 

AOC currently has sufficient contingency funding available to cover 

anticipated possible delay-related costs associated with the asbestos 

problem identified in connection with the work being done to connect the

tunnel running from the CVC to the Jefferson Building. Even after 

considering use of the contingency to address anticipated possible costs 

for the asbestos problem, AOC would have contingency funding available 

for some additional problems or changes related to the Jefferson Building 

work. We will continue to monitor this work and the use of the 

contingency funds for it. 

Mr. Chairman, this completes our prepared statement. We would be 

pleased to answer any questions that you or Members of the 

Subcommittee may have. 

For further information about this testimony, please contact Bernard 

Ungar at (202) 512-4232 or Terrell Dorn at (202) 512-6923. Other key 

contributors to this testimony include Shirley Abel, John Craig, Maria 

Edelstein, Elizabeth Eisenstadt, Jeanette Franzel, Jackie Hamilton, 

Bradley James, Joshua Ormond, and Scott Riback. 

Contacts and 

Acknowledgments 

Page 23 GAO-06-828T 
Page 24 GAO-06-828T 

Appendix I: Capitol Visitor Center Critical 

Construction Milestones, June 29, 2006-

August 2, 2006 

Source: AOC’s June 2006 CVC sequence 2 construction schedule for the scheduled completion dates and AOC and its construction 

management contractor for the actual completion dates and reasons for missing milestones. 

a

Work noted as substantially complete by contractor. 

b

Preceding work took longer than expected. 

c

Work delayed by concrete tolerance issues related to sequence 1.

d

Contractor needed to incorporate a revised sequence of operations specification recently received

from AOC, and other issues took longer than expected to resolve. 

e

Work was resequenced after schedule was updated in June and is now expected to be done in late 

August. 

Activity Location

Scheduled

completion 

Actual 

completion 

Wall Stone Area 3 East Front Ground 7/17/06 7/15/06a

Plaster Walls Orientation Lobby 7/18/06 7/25/06a

Plaster Ceilings West Lobby Assembly 7/19/06 7/25/06a

Hang VP Drywall Ceiling Congressional Auditorium, Lower Level 7/20/06 b

Wall Stone Area 6 Congressional Auditorium 7/20/06 c 

Flush and Treat HVAC Piping CVC 7/24/06 6/24/06 

Fire Alarm Record Submittal CVC 7/31/06 d 

Install AHU-EF-1 Mechanical System 8/01/06 e 

(545045) 
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the 

United States. It may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without further 

permission from GAO. However, because this work may contain copyrighted images or 

other material, permission from the copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to 

reproduce this material separately. 
GAO’s Mission The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation and 

investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its 

constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and 

accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO 

examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; 

and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help

Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO’s 

commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of 

accountability, integrity, and reliability. 

The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost

is through GAO’s Web site (www.gao.gov). Each weekday, GAO posts 

newly released reports, testimony, and correspondence on its Web site. To

have GAO e-mail you a list of newly posted products every afternoon, go 

to www.gao.gov and select “Subscribe to Updates.” 

The first copy of each printed report is free. Additional copies are $2 each. 

A check or money order should be made out to the Superintendent of 

Documents. GAO also accepts VISA and Mastercard. Orders for 100 or 

more copies mailed to a single address are discounted 25 percent. Orders 

should be sent to: 

U.S. Government Accountability Office 

441 G Street NW, Room LM 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

To order by Phone: Voice: (202) 512-6000 

TDD: (202) 512-2537 

Fax: (202) 512-6061 

Contact: 

Web site: www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm

E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov

Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470 

Gloria Jarmon, Managing Director, JarmonG@gao.gov (202) 512-4400 

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7125 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

Paul Anderson, Managing Director, AndersonP1@gao.gov (202) 512-4800

U.S. Government Accountability Office, 441 G Street NW, Room 7149 

Washington, D.C. 20548 

Obtaining Copies of 

GAO Reports and 

Testimony

Order by Mail or Phone 

To Report Fraud,

Waste, and Abuse in 

Federal Programs 

Congressional 

Relations 

Public Affairs 

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER