Federal Reports

The Office of Enterprise Assessments implements an Independent Oversight Program to provide Department of Energy line management, Congress, and other stakeholders with an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of Department policy and line management performance in safety, security, and other critical areas. The Office of Environment, Safety and Health Assessments (EA-30), a subordinate office within the Office of Enterprise Assessments, conducts assessments to provide information on the effectiveness and performance of Department programs in protecting workers, the public, and the environment from hazards.We initiated this audit to determine whether the Department is addressing findings and deficiencies identified by EA-30. Our review found that the Department did not always fully address findings and deficiencies identified by EA-30.These issues occurred, in part, because the sites we reviewed did not always provide sufficient oversight pertaining to EA-30 findings and deficiencies, including inconsistent oversight of the issues management processes. In addition, EA-30’s processes presented opportunities for improvement, including tracking findings and deficiencies. As a result of this audit, EA-30 has begun to take steps to address these issues.Department programs may be at risk of unaddressed weaknesses in protecting workers, the public, and the environment from hazards. Effective oversight is an integral part of the Department’s responsibility to provide assurance of its safety and security posture to its leadership, its workers, and the public.To address the issues identified in this report, we have made six recommendations that, if fully implemented, should help ensure that findings and deficiencies are addressed, and effective corrective actions are implemented and documented.

Opportunities exist to enhance the Postal Service’s Collection Point Management System (CPMS) to make data management processes more efficient and improve the quality of CPMS data, according to a new white paper from the Postal Service Office of Inspector General. CPMS is a USPS data collection system that manages data pertaining to its vast network of mail collection points. The enhancements would improve the Postal Service’s ability to manage and track its collection point network, provide more accurate and timely data for internal decisionmakers, and offer better service to the public. Read the details in The Postal Service’s Collection Point Management System.

What We Looked AtWe queried and downloaded 60 single audit reports prepared by non-Federal auditors and submitted to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse between January 1, 2022, and March 31, 2022, to identify significant findings related to programs directly funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT).What We FoundWe found that reports contained a range of findings that impacted DOT programs. The auditors reported significant noncompliance with Federal guidelines related to eight grantees that require prompt action from DOT's Operating Administrations (OA). The auditors also identified questioned costs totaling $3,534,794 for three grantees. Of this amount, $3,459,757 was related to the Sangamon Mass Transit District and $24,763 related to the COVID-19 Airport Improvement Program for the Commonwealth Ports Authority of the Northern Mariana Islands.RecommendationsWe recommend that DOT coordinate with the impacted OAs to develop a corrective action plan to resolve and close the findings identified in this report. We also recommend that DOT determine the allowability of the questioned transactions and recover $3,534,794, if applicable.