A GAO report has found that 19 federal agencies obligated over $5.6 billion in aid contracts for Hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria.
The report found that FEMA and DoD accounted for approximately 97 percent of these obligations, and more than $2 billion has gone toward food, water and shelter, while about $3.6 billion has been obligated to services such as power restoration.
GAO also found that 73 percent of total obligations were recorded under competitive contracts, and 74 percent of competitive contracts were awarded within 90 days of each hurricane’s landfall. This was an improvement on the first 90 days after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, when the competition rate was about 54 percent.
GAO was asked to carry out the study as the first in a series of reports reviewing federal contracting activity to support the work of agencies in response to the 2017 hurricanes.
