Federal Reports

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) works to promote efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in the programs and operations of the U.S. Department of Education (Department). Through our audits, inspections, investigations, and other reviews, we continue to identify areas of concern within the Department’s programs and operations and recommend actions the Department should take to address theseweaknesses. The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 requires OIG to identify and summarize the most significant management challenges facing the Department each year. Last year, we reported three management challenges: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act); student financial assistance (SFA) programs, with a focus on the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of2008; and information security and management. All three have been updated as challenges for fiscal year (FY) 2011, and Data Quality and Reporting, previously a sub-area, is presented as a separate challenge.

An appendix to this report is available at the link below.

This report is Sensitive But Unclassified. To obtain further information, please contact the OIG Office of Counsel at OIGCounsel@oig.treas.gov, (202) 927-0650, or by mail at Office of Treasury Inspector General, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC 20220.

We audited $6.9 million in payments TVA made to a contractor for providing labor, material, and equipment to reclear or provide maintenance for existing transmission line right-of-way areas under two contracts from January 5, 2004, through April 19, 2010. In summary, we found the contractor had overbilled TVA about $1,400 due to miscellaneous billing errors. However, TVA's invoice approvers had found and adjusted most of the errors prior to paying the contractor. Summary Only