NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Does Not Fully Utilize the Shipboard Automated Maintenance Management System to Coordinate Ship Maintenance and Repairs
For our final audit report conducted to review the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) ship fleet, our objective was to determine whether NOAA OMAO coordinates ship maintenance and repairs of its fleet using the Shipboard Automated Maintenance Management System (SAMMS).
Joint Report on the Implementation of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015
Investigation into Misuse of Agency Transportation Account and Other Improprieties by a Political Appointee
In May 2016, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation into an allegation that a high-level political appointee (Political Appointee) at an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce (Agency) was using the Agency’s account with a local taxicab company (Cab Company) for...
Alleged Unallowable Costs Under NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Grant
In May 2014, a private party filed a sealed qui tam complaint in federal court, alleging that Frontier, West Virginia, Inc. (Frontier), a subrecipient of a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant to the State of West...
Investigation into Misuse of Agency Transportation Account and Other Improprieties by a Political Appointee
In early 2015, a confidential complainant contacted OIG alleging potential policy and regulatory violations taking place in the office of a high-ranking political appointee. The evidence developed over the course of inquiry established that a variety of problems arose in the appointee's office...
Analysis of Patent Examiners' Time and Attendance
OIG's comprehensive analysis focused on two overlapping periods: a 9-month period (8.6 million hours) and a 15-month period (14.6 million hours). The 1-year average of unsupported time amounted to nearly 180,000 unsupported hours. However, the total unsupported hours over the 9- and 15-month periods...
Semiannual Report to Congress, September 2017
This report summarizes work we initiated and completed during this semiannual period on a number of critical Departmental activities. Over the past 6 months—in addition to issuing our annual Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Commerce—OIG completed nine audits...
Examination of the Department's Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 20 I 4 Submission for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2017
For our report on the Department's Digital Accountability and Act of 2014 (DATA Act) submission for the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2017, we contracted with K.PMG LLP, an independent public accounting firm, to examine the Department's submission (which included seven files containing...
The Joint Polar Satellite System: Further Planning and Executive Decisions Are Needed to Establish a Long-term, Robust Program
For this review of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA’s) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program, the objectives were to (1) determine the progress of Polar Follow-On program planning, (2) monitor ongoing JPSS acquisition and development (i.e., JPSS-1 and JPSS-2 missions...