Open Recommendations

Perform an analysis of data and develop an approach to identify intended outcomes for the Climate Hubs’ goals. Based on this approach, develop outcome-based measures to adequately assess the Climate Hubs’ progress in meeting its strategic goals.

Develop KPI(s) that clearly align(s) with the strategic goals to encompass the Climate Hubs’ performance measures.

Revise the performance reporting process to follow Federal requirements on informing stakeholders how the Climate Hubs’ strategic goals are accomplished.

Determine the allowability of the questioned unsupported costs of $86,856 ($76,458 costs incurred, and $10,398 cost share contribution), on pages 1 and 5 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

Lower the $400 resource level tolerance for Access to Financial Institutions application use to $0 to help ensure more accurate Supplemental Security Income resource determinations when processing initial claims, pre-effectuation review contacts, and redeterminations.

We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to take action to complete background investigations, including adjudication, for staff members identified in this report as not having a satisfactory background investigation.

We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to monitor background investigations to ensure all elements are completed within required timeframes in accordance with Federal requirements.

We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to update standard operating procedures for background investigations to include completing background investigations for temporary staff in accordance with Federal requirements.

We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to determine which staff members in contact with Indian children currently have a pending background investigation and take immediate action to supervise these staff members when children are in their care and adequately document such supervision.

We recommend that the Indian Health Service work with Gallup Indian Medical Center and the Navajo Area Office to follow through on its plans for an agencywide process to facilitate compliance with the sight and supervision requirements for staff with pending background investigations, including documentation that supervision actually occurs.

We recommend that ASPR correct the one Push Package sample item in its Stockpile's inventory system and complete its annual warehouse inventory check by the established target date of September 2024.

We recommend that EmblemHealth refund to the Federal Government the $551,917 of net overpayments.

We recommend that EmblemHealth continue to ensure that its policies and procedures have been adequately designed and implemented to prevent, detect, and correct noncompliance with Federal requirements for diagnosis codes that are used to calculate risk-adjusted payments.

We recommend that the PBS Commissioner establish supplemental policies, training, and oversight procedures to ensure contractors comply with federal regulations when using drones on federal buildings, grounds, and property, regardless of funding sources.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region implement controls and training to ensure that PBS contracting staff use proper contract vehicles to procure construction contracts so that the Competition in Contracting Act is not violated.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region ensure that the PBS contracting staff are trained on their responsibilities with respect to: documenting and supporting independent government estimates and price reasonableness determinations; and segregating duties performed in making price reasonableness determinations.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region ensure that the PBS contracting staff responsible for the administration of construction contracts and task orders are trained on their responsibilities with respect to: acquisition planning; evaluating contractor’s experience and past performance prior to awarding a contract to ensure the contractor is qualified to perform the work; establishing and obtaining a construction warranty and performance and payment bonds for construction contracts; and entering accurate and complete contract information in FPDS-NG.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region establish controls to ensure compliance with GSA environmentally preferable material standards and report accurate information to the taxpayers.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region properly train regional PBS contracting staff on the proper management, usage, and oversight of drones and drone operators on PBS projects in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and GSA policies.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region implement controls and training to ensure that PBS contracting staff provide adequate oversight and do not violate small business subcontracting limitations to create “pass- through” environments for large or ineligible businesses.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region ensure that PBS contracting staff comply with security clearance requirements and that contractors working on government contracts have the appropriate clearances.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region establish controls to ensure that CORs review certified payroll records and perform labor interviews, as appropriate, prior to approval of invoices to verify that contractor and subcontractor employees are paid in accordance with federal Construction Wage Rate Requirements.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region establish controls to ensure that PBS contracting staff properly evaluate independent government estimates to ensure the government is not overpaying for contractor services and provide oversight to ensure contractors perform required services.

We recommend that the PBS Regional Commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region train PBS contracting staff on their responsibilities with respect to: closing out the contract files in accordance with the FAR; completing contractor performance assessment reports within 120 calendar days, in accordance with the CPARS guide; and preparing and implementing oversight procedures to ensure contract files include complete and accurate contract documentation in accordance with the FAR, GSAM, and other applicable policies.

We recommend that the GSA Chief Administrative Services Officer work with GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service program officials to implement messaging to travel cardholders on the proper use of government rideshare contracts.