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The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has two fixed wing aircraft (FWA) that are to be used for mission-related transportation and business travel. According to TVA Standard Programs and Processes (SPP) 32.041, Use of TVA Fixed Wing Aircraft, its FWA are to be used in support of TVA's mission and congressionally mandated programs, in alignment with TVA Board Practice the Federal Travel Regulation, and other pertinent regulatory governance. In 2018, we performed an audit of TVA’s FWA and found TVA was not complying with various federal regulations and TVA policies and procedures regarding the use of its FWA. Due to the high number of issues found during our previous audit, we performed this follow-up audit to determine if TVA is complying with applicable laws and regulations and TVA policies and procedures regarding the use of its FWA. Our audit scope included all flight legs by TVA’s FWA between January 1, 2021, and January 31, 2023.We determined TVA was not in compliance with federal regulations related to (1) performing cost comparisons, (2) obtaining management authorizations to fly, and (3) reporting appropriate flight data to the General Services Administration. Additionally, TVA was not in compliance with its policies and procedures regarding (1) approving exceptions to flight restrictions, (2) documenting flight authorizations and business justifications, (3) providing timely flight approvals, and (4) performing semi annual audits. In addition, we noted a lack of clarity in TVA policies and procedures regarding required use travel.
The U.S. Postal Service’s mission is to provide timely, reliable, secure, and affordable mail and package delivery to more than 160 million residential and business addresses across the country. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews delivery operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback in furtherance of this mission.
According to a nuclear industry peer organization, ensuring the right spare and replacement items are available when they are needed to support critical plant equipment is essential to minimizing equipment unavailability and optimizing generation. Nuclear Power Group Standard Programs and Processes 09.18.8, Equipment Obsolescence Program, defines obsolete equipment as an item in plant service no longer manufactured or otherwise difficult to procure and qualify. It establishes methods for (1) identification of obsolete items, (2) prioritization of obsolescence issues, and (3) resolution of obsolescence issues critical to plant reliability. Based on a previous evaluation that identified obsolescence issues negatively impacting equipment at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) nuclear sites, we performed an evaluation of TVA Nuclear obsolete equipment to determine if TVA Nuclear was effectively managing obsolete equipment. We determined TVA Nuclear’s management of obsolete equipment could be improved. Specifically, we found (1) some obsolescence issues were not being proactively resolved, (2) proactive analytics and vulnerability reviews were not being performed, and (3) there was a lack of ownership and engagement in the obsolescence program. We also identified an opportunity for improvement related to prioritization of obsolescence issues.
