Federal Reports

This report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of Efficiency of Operations at the Portland Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Portland, OR (Project Number 22-028). We conducted this audit to provide U.S. Postal Service management with timely information on operational risks at this P&DC. The Portland P&DC is in the Pacific Northwest Division and processes letters, flats, and parcels; and it services multiple 3-digit ZIP Codes in urban and rural communities. We judgmentally selected the Portland P&DC based on overtime, penalty overtime, and late and extra trips by Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) and Highway Contract Route (HCR) drivers.

The EPA Office of Grants and Debarment does not know the full extent to which program offices and regions have implemented grant flexibilities and exceptions permitted by the Office of Management and Budget due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of Grants and Debarment tracked grants that received flexibilities through its issued class waivers and regulatory exceptions but did not track grants that received flexibilities and exceptions approved by program offices and regions. The lack of agencywide tracking of grant flexibilities and exceptions hindered the Agency’s ability to assess how the coronavirus pandemic impacted the grant process.

We did not substantiate allegations that a company or its contractors, provided BSEE false information in response to an incident of noncompliance.