Federal Reports

GAO's policy and procedures generally promote competition when soliciting offers and awarding contracts, and follow the Federal Acquisition Regulation when competition is not possible.However, the OIG identified gaps in GAO's policy, procedures, and internal control specific to non-competed contracts. These include gaps in documentation for key roles and responsibilities, errors in reported competition data, and deficiencies in key control activities, such as acquisition planning and the review of contractor proposals. OIG is making five recommendations intended to address these gaps in awarding non-competitive contracts.

In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its life safety and emergency preparedness regulations to improve protections for all Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, including those residing in long-term care facilities (commonly known as nursing homes). The updates included requirements that nursing homes have expanded sprinkler systems and smoke detector coverage; an emergency plan that is reviewed, trained on, tested, and updated at least annually; and provisions for sheltering in place and evacuation. Our objective was to determine whether Illinois ensured that selected nursing homes in the State that participated in the Medicare or Medicaid programs complied with CMS requirements for life safety and emergency preparedness.

The OIG investigated allegations that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Director used their Government position for the financial gain of two personal friends. We found no evidence that the State Director misused their Government position or violated any ethics regulations.

We found that Florida established and implemented systems of internal control thatprovided reasonable assurance that Restart program funds were allocated appropriatelyand sufficiently ensured that LEAs and nonpublic schools used Restart program funds forallowable and intended purposes, as described in the Finding.

The Office of the Inspector General conducted a review of the Enterprise Planning (EP) organization to identify factors that could impact EP’s organizational effectiveness. We identified behaviors that positively affected EP. These included leadership actions, relationships with team members, recognition programs, and a positive ethical culture. We also identified a risk to operations that, although minimal, if left unaddressed, could hinder EP’s effectiveness. This risk was related to effective collaboration with business partners.