Department of Commerce Inspector General Issues a Report on Lessons Learned from Past Relief and Recovery Initiatives
As part of the Commerce Office of Inspector General's (OIG) Recovery Act oversight efforts, the OIG has issued a report summarizing approaches for balancing accountability with spending and investing Recovery funds expeditiously. Many of the lessons learned were results of the department's experiences in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Andrew. In addition, the OIG recognized valuable lessons from the Iraq Reconstruction efforts that are germane to Recovery Act management and oversight.
The OIG identified the following four relevant lessons for Recovery Act oversight:
- Comprehensive systems of internal controls must be robust enough to protect the taxpayers' interests and to ensure program objectives are met
- Sufficient staff must be assigned and properly trained to oversee the performance of contractors
- Systemic and timely reporting mechanisms need to be established
- Quality performance dates and measures for determining overall progress and impact of efforts are critical.
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