Department of Transportation officials issued nearly $753.7 million in contracts, though they lacked certifications that they had either the authority or training to do so.
One out of every four contracting officers at the transportation agency who were reviewed in an inspector general report made public Monday could not prove that they held required certifications, but that didn’t stop them from approving more than 3,400 actions regarding contracts.
It appears the uncertified officials doubted getting the required credential was not worth the effort. “A well-trained workforce is critical to … be effective stewards of taxpayer dollars,” the inspector general said. However, officials “questioned whether certification training was worth the time taken from employees’ jobs.”
Of the 63 contracting officers reviewed, the certifications for 10 had been expired for up to seven years. Their authority to approve contracts was never revoked.
Three DOT agencies claimed their officers had taken the necessary steps to renew their certifications, despite missing documentation.
Evidence was missing for some of these officers because they left the agency. For others, officials didn’t properly track the documentation.
One of these officers lacked both certification and authorization to approve contracts, but awarded a contract worth as much as $4.1 million.
Five more officers never received certifications to award contracts at the dollar amounts they were authorized to approve and granted more than $21.8 million.
One of the uncertified officers was in charge of managing and monitoring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s acquisition workforce and was authorized to approve contracts worth any amount of money.
The officer approved more than $18.7 million in contracts, more than 85 percent of the $21.8 million. Officials provided evidence that the officer completed the necessary training, but couldn’t explain the missing certification.
Another contracting officer with the same authority in the Maritime Administration also wasn’t certified. Officials told investigators that the officer — who awarded $2.2 million in contracts – was previously certified at the Department of Defense.
The investigators said “these instances of noncompliance” were partially due to “an organizational culture that does not prioritize” certifying contracting officers.
DOT officials told investigators “they prioritize issuing warrants — so that [contracting officers] can begin awarding and administering contracts — rather than ensuring compliance.”
