American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Opportunities Exist to Recover Funds and Reduce Future Costs by Improving Procurement Polices

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) authorized the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to provide Amtrak a grant of $1.3 billion. Amtrak was required to use the grant for capital projects to repair, rehabilitate, or upgrade railroad assets or infrastructure, and for security projects, including life safety improvements. Amtrak’s Procurement and Materials Management (Procurement and Materials) reported spending approximately $788.5 million of ARRA funds on capital and security project contracts it managed.