Appendix II: Case Study Backgrounds
We drew the material in the Guide’s 30 case studies from the 26 GAO reports described in this appendix. Table 31 shows the relationship between reports, case studies, and the chapters they illustrate. The table is arranged by the order in which we issued the reports, earliest first. Following the table, paragraphs that describe the reports are ordered by the numbers of the case studies in this Cost Guide.
Table 31: Case Studies Drawn from GAO Reports Illustrating This Guide
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| Case study | GAO report | Steps illustrated | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1, 14 | GAO-07-96: Space Acquisitions (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-96) | 7 | 1, 10 |
| 2 | GAO-14-648: Federal Real Property (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-648) | 1 | |
| 3 | GAO-19-223: Nuclear Waste Cleanup (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-223) | 1 | |
| 4, 21 | GAO-17-575: Ford Class Aircraft Carrier (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-575) | 2, 16 | |
| 5 | GAO-11-325: Joint Strike Fighter (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-325) | 2 | |
| 6 | GAO-17-281: Information Technology (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-648) | 2 | |
| 7 | GAO-14-82: Defense Management (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-82) | 3 | 6 |
| 8 | GAO-14-231: Plutonium Disposition Program (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-231) | 4 | 7 |
| 9 | GAO-15-225: 2020 Census (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-225) | 4 | 7 |
| 10 | GAO-19-497: Columbia Class Submarine (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-497) | 5 | 8 |
| 11 | GAO-18-158: Columbia Class Submarine (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-158) | 5 | 8 |
| 12 | GAO-16-439: F-35 Sustainment (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-439) | 6 | 9 |
| 13 | GAO-12-741: Coast Guard (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-741) | 6 | 9 |
| 15, 17 | GAO-18-600: Coast Guard Acquisitions (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-600) | 7, 9 | 10, 12 |
| 16 | GAO-17-29: Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-29) | 8 | 11 |
| 18, 29 | GAO-16-628: 2020 Census (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-628) | 9 | 12, Appx XIII |
| 18 | GAO-18-635: 2020 Census (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-635) | 9 | 12 |
| 19 | GAO-18-479: VA Construction (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-479) | 10 | 13 |
| 20, 23 | GAO-15-596: Space Launch System (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-596) | 12 | 15, 17 |
| 22 | GAO-15-29: Project and Program Management (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-15-29) | 16 | |
| 24 | GAO-05-183: Defense Acquisitions (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-183) | 19 | |
| 25 | GAO-16-112: James Webb Telescope (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-112) | 19 | |
| 26 | GAO-13-22: NASA (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-22) | 20 | |
| 27 | GAO-04-643R: Airborne Laser (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-04-643R) | 20 | |
| 28 | GAO-16-22: Amphibious Combat Vehicle (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-16-22) | Appx XII | |
| 30 | GAO-17-398: Service Contracts (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-398) | Appx XIII |
Source: GAO | GAO-20-195G
Note: Full bibliographic data for the reports in this table (listed in the order in which GAO issued them) are given below their headings in this appendix and in the case studies in the text.