Department of Commerce

For our evaluation of the Census Bureau’s recruitment, hiring, and retention of field representatives (FRs), our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies the bureau uses to support its recruitment, hiring, and retention of employees in mission-critical positions. Specifically...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a national network of 51 MEP Centers—in all 50 states and Puerto Rico—providing any U.S. manufacturer with resources to improve production processes, upgrade technological capabilities...

For our evaluation of the National Weather Service's (NWS's) protection of operational technology (OT), our objective was to determine whether NWS has implemented effective security controls for its critical OT. We found that I. NWS did not implement strong credential management for some OT systems...

For our audit on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Weather Service (NWS) hurricane forecast and warning performance, our audit objective was to assess NWS progress toward improving hurricane forecasts and warnings. We found that NWS has made progress improving...

For our audit of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (the Department’s) Enterprise Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (ECDM) program, our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the program. To address this objective, we assessed data quality, data security, and aspects of program management...

Our audit objective was to assess the First Responder Network Authority’s Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network services in response to the devastating wildfires that broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui in August 2023. We focused on AT&T’s operational response, FirstNet Authority’s...

For our final report on our audit of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) management of trademark pendency, our objective was to determine whether USPTO exercised effective oversight and management of trademark pendency. Specifically, we assessed USPTO’s development, monitoring...

This report summarizes the following top management and performance challenges facing the Department of Commerce in FY 2025: (I) Modernizing Technology and Systems (Maximizing Cybersecurity and IT Security, Modernizing IT Systems and Operations, and Integrating AI and Other Emerging Technologies...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) provides access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources. Current NESDIS ground systems process data from NOAA and non-NOAA satellites and...

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a national network of 51 MEP Centers—in all 50 states and Puerto Rico—providing any U.S. manufacturer with resources to improve production processes, upgrade technological capabilities...