Federal Reports

The audit objective was to determine if the Web-Based Licensing (WBL) System effectively manages the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) materials licensing and inspection information and provides for the security, availability, and integrity of the system data. 

The OIG found that the WBL System’s inactivity controls interrupt users’ work processes; WBL users are unable to edit role-based licensing information in the Export/Import and Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs modules; the WBL User Guide lacks quality information for using certain WBL modules; WBL users are generally unfamiliar with the change control process; several WBL enhancements do not work as intended; the licensing and inspection modules do not contain quality data; and, WBL System data is not readily available for the agency to use in other applications.

The report contains 15 recommendations to increase the WBL System’s functionality, effectiveness, and users’ efficiency. 

Our objective was to assess the extent to which the company has effective processes and controls during the pre-award phase to ensure contracts it awards are in its best interest.

We found that certain pre-award contracting activities generally worked well, but we identified two areas where weaknesses place the company at greater risk of paying more than it should for goods and services. First, the company could better ensure its employees adhere to its requirements for contracts requiring cost estimates and technical evaluation committees. Second, consistent with considerations from our prior work, the company has opportunities to better identify and mitigate fraud risks that can occur during the pre-award phase of its procurement process. This includes collecting and analyzing data to detect contract and procurement fraud and identify suspicious patterns across solicitations

We recommended that the company’s Procurement department (1) develop and implement a process to assess ongoing solicitations to determine their compliance with company requirements, (2) develop additional guidance for contracting officers regarding cost estimate details, (3) collect and analyze pre-award data to identify fraud indicators, and (4) develop and implement additional recurring fraud training for employees involved in the pre-award phase.

Our Objective(s)To assess FAA's efforts to advance beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations outside the parameters of existing drone regulations.
Why This AuditNationwide interest in using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, in increasingly complex operations BVLOS is expanding. FAA has efforts underway to help advance BVLOS operations, policy, and rulemaking, including through the BEYOND program. However, there are potential challenges and safety risks associated with integrating drones into the National Airspace System (NAS). We initiated this audit to continue our oversight of FAA's drone integration efforts for complex BVLOS operations due to their potential for introducing risks to the NAS and the importance of maintaining the United States as a leader in aeronautics.
What We FoundFAA approved increasingly complex BVLOS drone operations.

FAA increased approvals for BVLOS operations from 1,229 in 2020 to 26,870 in 2023. FAA used small UAS rule waivers, air carrier operating certificates, and regulatory exemptions to increase approvals.

FAA's BVLOS operational goals and metrics were difficult for most lead participants to meet.

A majority of program lead participants did not meet most of BEYOND's six operational performance metrics, and operators flew only a small percentage of flights without a visual observer.
The BEYOND program's overall effectiveness is hindered by its lack of participant and mission variety.

FAA collects and shares partnership program data but is not using comprehensive data to inform rulemaking, and its validation process can lead to errors.

FAA applied lessons learned to enhance its data collection process but does not consolidate data across offices.
While BEYOND program data is shared with participants, it has limited use informing rulemakings.
FAA's data input and validation process is vulnerable to errors.

FAA ceased collecting data on BEYOND program societal and economic benefits and community engagement.

FAA's rulemaking team decided they no longer needed societal and economic benefits data, despite program goals to collect it.

RecommendationsWe made 7 recommendations to improve FAA's efforts to advance BVLOS drone operations outside the parameters of existing drone regulations.