Report: State Department should reengineer export license process

The State Department needs to take several steps to reduce delays in the issuance of export licenses for sensitive defense-related high-tech products, according to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report released Thursday.

While acknowledging that many license applications take significant time to review, GAO found that "several conditions reduce the efficiency of the application process and result in delays."

In particular, said the report, "Export Controls: Reengineering Business Processes Can Improve Efficiency of State Department License Reviews" (GAO-02-203), State has failed to establish formal guidelines for determining the agencies and offices that need to review license applications, leading to more reviews than necessary.

The department also lacks procedures for monitoring the flow of applications through the review process, which GAO said leads to lost and delayed applications.

In addition, the study concluded that State should ensure that the planned upgrade of the export-related electronic business system and the hiring of new licensing officers do not increase delays.