The General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Inspector General found that the agency’s Public Buildings Service (PBS) did not adequately oversee electronic contract files and did not consistently identify and mark controlled unclassified information (CUI), according to a Nov. 6 audit report.
Auditors examined a sample of 11 closed contracts – one from each of the former PBS regions – and found every file incomplete in the Electronic Acquisition System integration (EASi), PBS’s official system of record.
PBS acquisition personnel added 956 documents to the sampled files after auditors requested records, but some documents could not be located.
The sample covered contracts awarded in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 and closed in fiscal 2024. The inspector general said the sample does not allow the results to be projected to the broader contract population.
Contracting officers told auditors they did not consistently use EASi because network drives, GSA’s Google Drive, or email were easier for file storage. They described the system as slow, difficult to use, and limited in functionality, according to the report.
Auditors separately found that PBS personnel did not properly designate and mark CUI, increasing the risk of mishandling and unauthorized disclosure of sensitive acquisition information.
As of March 2026, PBS had 8,910 active contracts valued at more than $14.6 billion. EASi has been mandatory for PBS solicitations and awards above the micro-purchase threshold since May 1, 2018.
The inspector general recommended that PBS enforce EASi use, require timely document uploads, standardize contract file reviews, and provide training. The report also calls for PBS to evaluate EASi usability and document-management functions with the GSA chief information officer, strengthen oversight of files maintained by contracting officer representatives, and issue CUI guidance and training.
Michael Gelber, acting PBS commissioner, agreed with all four recommendations and said PBS was developing a corrective action plan aligned with the overhaul of federal and GSA acquisition regulations and the consolidation of all contracting divisions under the PBS Office of Acquisition Management (OAM).