GAO finds already overdue GPS upgrade likely to be delayed further

In an assessment of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a planned Defense Department upgrade to a new system known as OCX, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found efforts will most likely continue to be delayed.

The upgrade has already faced around five years of delays, but GAO said that at least two years of work remain. Further, the contractor working on the upgrade has already used most of the time extra time allotted for its schedule, leaving little recourse in the event of newfound problems. GAO has declared the OXC schedule to “optimistic,” noting that room for delays is likely across delivery, acceptance and operation portions of the effort.

The project still needs a timely delivery by the contractor that is accepted by the Air Force, followed by completion of an anticipated seven-month post-acceptance developmental test conducted by the government to complete the OCX upgrade in total. Air Force officials have themselves noted that testing period could double due to a host of issues.

The government currently has no plan to assess the schedule independently — something GAO officials believe should be conducted by the end of the year. The Department of Defense has, however, did not agree with the recommendation.

The GAO report continued, stating that getting an independent view would be best practice and that a periodic schedule assessment should be undertaken as things move along and risks develop. Otherwise, both DOD and Congress run the risk of being blindsided by OCX delays.