The media has been awash with reports on the more than $800,000 Las Vegas, NV conference the Western Regions of the General Services Agency (GSA) threw for themselves in 2010. Justifiably so.
While the rest of the country was mired in a recession and Americans were struggling to make ends meet, GSA leadership from the Western Regions cooked up this outrageous internal meeting. To prepare for the conference, which a senior GSA official specifically directed to be “over the top,” staff made eight separate planning visits which cost taxpayers more than $130,000. They had a mind reader, a magician, and even an employee dressed up in a rented clown costume. A team-building exercise – building 24 bikes – cost $75,000. But it wasn’t just the excesses; GSA staff shared competitor bid information to ensure that the “right” hotel got the contract, and negotiations to get the government rate at the hotel guaranteed $41,000 in additional catering charges. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Inspector General’s report mentions that some employees tried to rein in costs and were rebuffed. And at least one GSA employee complained to the Deputy Administrator of the GSA, who forwarded the complaint on to the IG’s office. The IG thoroughly investigated, and some heads ended up rolling at the agency. So in one sense the process worked, and as budget watchdogs we count on the IG offices, but it’s hard to fathom what these people were thinking as they prepared the conference. Perhaps that mind reader can tell us.
GSA head out after lavish spending by agency (CBS News)
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