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Abbreviation
DOC
Agencies
Department of Commerce
Federal Agency
Yes
Location

United States

What to Report to the OIG Hotline
Commerce OIG maintains a Hotline for receiving allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement in the Department of Commerce’s programs and operations, including any organization or entity receiving Departmental funds. The following is a list of examples of types of allegations that should be reported:
  • Contract and grant fraud
  • Environmental, health, and safety violations
  • Computer crimes (including internet pornography)
  • Product substitution and suspect/counterfeit parts
  • Bribery, kickbacks, and gratuities
  • False statements and false claims
  • Conflicts of interest and ethics violations
  • Travel fraud
  • Theft or abuse of government property
  • Gross mismanagement of funds
  • Other violations of federal laws and regulations
In addition, if you suspect that you have been retaliated against for whistleblowing, you may contact the Commerce OIG Hotline or the Office of Special Counsel.
What Not to Report to the OIG Hotline
Certain matters are better resolved through other channels, instead of the Commerce OIG Hotline. The following matters are NOT generally investigated by Commerce OIG:
  • 911 emergencies regarding a Departmental facility or operation. Report to the local or state law enforcement authorities and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
  • Complaints of EEO discrimination and retaliation. Report to the Department of Commerce’s Office of Civil Rights.
  • Personal theft. Report to Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
  • Personnel matters involving requests for individual relief. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
  • Employment related grievances or complaints against management officials unless part of a whistleblower claim. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
  • Assistance with the U.S. patent application process (e.g., initial filing, patent examination, and post-examination) and case prosecution concerns (e.g., claim objections, after-final practice, claim rejections and restrictions). Contact the Patents Ombudsman Office (https://www.uspto.gov/patent/ombudsman-program).

The Department Needs to Improve Oversight Practices to Close Out Contract Files by Complying with Federal Regulations and Departmental Requirements

2020
OIG-20-028-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit of a sample of 124 standalone contracts and individual task orders composed of various contract types (e.g., time-and-material, labor-hour, and fixed price) that were closed during fiscal years (FYs) 2016 and 2017, our objective was to determine whether National Institute of Standards...

2020 Census: The Bureau Can Improve Oversight of Time-and-Materials Delivery Orders on the Integrated Communications Contract

2020
OIG-20-025-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit of the U.S. Census Bureau’s (the Bureau’s) integrated communications contract (ICC) with Young & Rubicam, Inc. (Y&R), our objectives were to determine whether the Bureau is (1) administering time-and-materials (T&M) and labor-hour delivery orders in accordance with Federal Acquisition...

2020 Census: The Census Bureau’s Oversight of Contractor Performance During the 2018 End-to-End Test’s Census Questionnaire Assistance Operation Was Deficient in Some Areas and Did Not Implement Some Lessons Learned for the Operation

2020
OIG-20-022-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit of the U.S. Census Bureau’s (the Bureau's) Census Questionnaire Assistance (CQA) operation -- in support of our oversight role over the planning and implementation of the 2020 Census -- our audit objectives were to determine how previous internal assessments informed the operation, how...

The Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS): Program Can Increase the Likelihood of Mission Success by Further Applying NASA Processes to Its Spacecraft Development Efforts

2020
OIG-20-021-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program, our objective was to assess the cost, schedule, and technical performance of the Program’s spacecraft acquisition and development efforts. Specifically, we sought to (1) determine...

Semiannual Report to Congress, September 2019

2019
SAR-2019-09
Semiannual Report
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

This report summarizes work that we initiated and completed during this semiannual period on a number of critical Departmental activities. Over the past 6 months, our office issued 13 products related to our audit, evaluation, and inspection work. These products addressed programs and personnel...

Lack of Defined Processes and Procedures Impede Efforts to Monitor End-Use Check Performance

2020
OIG-20-019-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our final report on the audit of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regarding foreign end users and exports, our objective was to assess the effectiveness of BIS’ efforts to ensure foreign end users are suitable to receive and use controlled U.S. exports in accordance with the Export...

Failures in the Department’s Security Program Resulted in Exposure of Sensitive Trade Information to Unvetted Foreign Nationals

2020
OIG-20-018-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For the final report on our audit of the Department of Commerce’s (the Department’s) Enterprise Web Solutions (EWS) system, our objectives were to determine whether the (1) processes used to vet contract staff given administrative access to the EWS system are adequate; (2) Department followed a...

2020 Census: Some Decennial Census Data Quality Assurance Methods Were Not Tested or Did Not Work as Intended During the 2018 End-to-End Census Test

2020
OIG-20-016-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our final audit report on the U.S. Census Bureau’s (the Bureau’s) 2018 End-to-End Census Test, with specific attention paid to the testing of peak operations, our objectives were to determine whether (1) the test included data quality components identified as success criteria in the test plan,...

NTIA and FirstNet Should Improve Controls to Strengthen the Fee Collection Process

2020
OIG-20-015-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit regarding the management of fee payments from AT&T Inc. to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). Our audit objectives were to determine whether FirstNet’s processes for setting, collecting, and managing fees, and the National Telecommunications and Information...

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