Open Recommendations

We recommend that the Deputy Secretary assess the GEMS project’s workforce needs and take appropriate steps as indicated.

We recommend that the Deputy Secretary ensure the project defines and implements management controls for requirements in
accordance with GAO’s Agile Assessment Guide.

We recommend that the Deputy Secretary ensure the project has support for cost estimation and better defines and
implements its cost management controls in accordance with the Department’s Cost Estimating Guide.

We recommend that the Deputy Secretary ensure the project defines and implements management controls for its schedule
in accordance with the Department’s administrative order on Acquisition Project Management (208-16) and GAO best practices.

We recommend that the Deputy Secretary ensure the Department collects lessons learned from NOAA’s GEMS
implementation and incorporates those lessons into plans and procedures for the NIST and EDA implementations.

Develop and implement a process to assess ongoing solicitations for compliance with the company’s procurement manual.

Develop and implement additional guidance to help COs determine when to require end users to provide more detailed cost estimates, in line with leading practices, and consider adjusting its policies accordingly.

Implement a companywide process to consistently collect and analyze key pre-award data elements, such as those we raised for the company’s consideration in our April 2024 report, as necessary to identify indicators of fraud.

Develop and implement mandatory, recurring fraud training for employees involved in the pre-award phase. At a minimum, this training should include how to detect indicators of the fraud schemes that most commonly occur during this phase.

We recommend that the Architect of the Capitol revise and fully implement a process that ensures compliance with construction contracts, project specifications and any other requirements prescribed for substantial and final completion and document justification and approval for all deviations. This process should be applied to the awarding of substantial and final completion on all remaining Phases of the Cannon House Office Building Renewal Project.

We recommend that the Architect of the Capitol develop construction contract requirements and project specifications for substantial and final completion that are feasible, achievable and necessary for future construction projects with multiple phases — similar to the Cannon House Office Building Renewal Project.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update the inactivity control in the Nuclear Material FISMA Systems-system security plan to include references to the 30-minute deviation request and approval.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update the Web-Based Licensing System User Guide’s instructions on clearing the cache to access the system without closing the browser.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations evaluate and update the Web-Based Licensing System to ensure users assigned to multiple roles may perform tasks associated with the highest access rights.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update the Web-Based Licensing System’s user role descriptions to ensure users’ capabilities in the system are properly defined.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations develop and implement a process to periodically update user roles in the Web-Based Licensing System to ensure users may perform tasks commensurate with their assigned NRC responsibilities.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update the Web-Based Licensing System User Guide to incorporate guidance on how to use the new modules added to the WBL System, and describe how to use new enhancements to the system.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations establish a schedule to periodically review the Web-Based Licensing System User Guide and determine if it incorporates significant enhancements made on how to use the system.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update the Web-Based Licensing System Change Control Procedure and related information resources to accurately reflect the current process and issue a memo to WBL users informing them of the updated process.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations clarify the role of a Web-Based Licensing System module point of contact and update the points of contact list for the Web-Based Licensing System Change Control Procedure.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations prioritize and fix any current features within the Web-Based Licensing System that are not operating correctly.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations identify and automate the appropriate data entry areas within the Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery, and Waste Programs module to promote accurate, complete, and standardized data entry.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations update existing inspection data entry guidance to include how to document assist inspections and general license inspections.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations review the existing guidance for each Web-Based Licensing System module and update it to reflect current data entry practices, as appropriate.

The OIG recommends that the Executive Director for Operations identify and implement strategies that improve the search functionality of the Web-Based Licensing System.