Federal Reports

A former Amtrak Superintendent of Transportation at Chicago Union Station, Benjamin Sheets, was sentenced on February 27, 2018, in the Federal District Court of Northern Illinois after pleading guilty to making false statements to our agents in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(1).

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a company for civil projects and coal combustion residual program management work at TVA's steam electric power plants. Our examination objective was to determine if the company's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned <br> $50 million contract.In our opinion, the company's cost proposal was overstated. Specifically, we found the company's proposed costs for a Cumberland Fossil Plant project and proposed unit rates for a Bull Run Fossil Plant project included overstated (1) labor markup rates, (2) labor costs, (3) material costs, (4) equipment costs, (5) subcontract costs, and (6) other direct costs. In addition, the company's proposed contract rate attachment for employees who receive no benefits was not representative of the company's actual benefit structureWe estimated TVA could avoid about $5.2 million on the planned $50 million contract by negotiating appropriate reductions to (1) labor markup rates, labor costs, material costs, equipment costs, subcontract costs, and other direct costs in the Cumberland Fossil Plant proposal and (2) unit rates in the Bull Run Fossil Plant proposal. In addition, we suggest TVA require the company (1) eliminate the rate attachment for field temporary or local hires with no benefits and (2) submit a rate attachment for employees with limited benefits to more accurately reflect the company's benefit structure.(Summary Only)

Our objective was to determine whether NOAA established and administered BPAs in accordance with laws, regulations, and agency guidance. We reviewed a total of 30 BPAs— 17 GSA Schedule BPAs and 13 NOAA-established BPAs. Overall, we found that NOAA did not properly establish or administer all 30 BPAs because they did not comply with at least one or more of the key FAR and NOAA requirements.

We investigated allegations that a senior official with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) made several comments that caused other DOI employees to question his ethics. He allegedly expressed his intent to assist two American Indian tribes he had worked with before becoming a DOI employee, encouraged subordinates to hire his former business associates and to arrange for the DOI to approve payment of the guarantee on a tribal loan he had been involved with before he came to the DOI, and asked a DOI employee to hire one of his relatives.We found that in the short time the senior official worked for the DOI, he made several comments that created an appearance to employees that he was planning to give preferential treatment to entities he had relationships with:• He told employees that he intended to continue assisting two tribes he had worked with before coming to the DOI. We found he assisted these tribes only once as a DOI employee, when he volunteered to schedule meetings for them with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.• He spoke to subordinates about hiring his former business associates and approving the loan guarantee payment. Although this did not violate regulations, his statements made his subordinates uncomfortable.• He asked a DOI employee to hire his relative. He claimed that his request had been meant as a joke, but the employee believed he had been serious.The senior official has left the DOI. We provided this report to the Deputy Secretary of the Interior for any action deemed appropriate.