Federal Reports

Quarterly Summary Memorandum for the Lead Inspector General, Department of Defense

As of May 2018, the Postal Service had 145 active and 35 inactive tanks in its underground storage tanks (UST) program. Active USTs contain fuel (gasoline and diesel) to power generators and its fleet of vehicles. USTs are designated as inactive when the tank is no longer economically viable to keep in place and operating, it is not sufficiently used to keep operating, or it is no longer needed. Our objective was to assess the Postal Service’s effectiveness in managing its UST program.

The OIG investigated allegations that two propane delivery contractors, one of which was American Indian-owned, conspired to improperly obtain U.S. Government contracts that are restricted to Indian economic enterprises under the provisions of the Buy Indian Act. Specifically, we investigated to determine if the Indian-owned company subcontracted 100 percent of contract performance to the non-Indian-owned company.We found that the Indian-owned company was awarded approximately 17 contracts, with a combined value of about $350,000, under the Buy Indian Act. We also found that though the Indian-owned company received approximately 51 percent of the net profit, it had little or no involvement with the actual performance of the propane supply contract: the non-Indian contractor provided all the fuel and made all the physical deliveries, thus violating the Buy Indian Act.

As part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public funder of biomedical research agency in the world, investing more than $30 billion in taxpayer dollars to achieve its mission. NIH's mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. OIG has identified risks related to the sharing of sensitive data.