[Final Inspection Report on Selected Administrative Activities of the Mid-Pacific Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Report No. 95-I-1209

Title: Final Inspection Report on Selected Administrative Activities of
       the Mid-Pacific Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation 

Date:     August 10, 1995


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A printed copy of this report may be obtained by referring to
the PDF file or by calling the Office of Inspector General, 
Logistical Services Branch at (202) 219-3840.

     **************************************************

 
     
                         W-IN-BOR-O04-95


          United States Department of the Interior
               Office of Inspector General
                  Headquarters Audits
                 1550 Wilson Boulevard
                    Suite 401
                  Arlington, VA  22209

                               August 10, 1995

               INSPECTION REPORT


To:   Regional Director, Mid-Pacific Region, Bureau of Reclamation
    

From:      Marvin Pierce
      Acting Assistant Inspector General for Audits


Subject: Final Inspection Report on Selected Administrative Activities
      of the Mid-Pacific Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation
      (No. 95-I-1209)
               

               INTRODUCTION

The Office of Inspector General has completed an administrative activities of
the Mid-Pacific Regional Office, inspection of selected Bureau of Reclamation. 
The objective of the inspection was to determine whether the selected activities
were conducted in accordance with established laws and regulations and Bureau policies
and procedures.

BACKGROUND

The Mid-Pacific Regional Office, in Sacramento, California, provides administrative
support services for Bureau operations in California, Nevada, and Oregon. These
services include providing for employee time and attendance, employee travel
property accountability, and the procurement of goods and services. In fiscal year
1994, the Regional Office employed about 380 people; incurred salaries of over $18
million, including $386,000 for overtime; and spent $1.3 million for travel. In fiscal
year 1995, many of the Region's travelers obtained Government-sponsored travel
cards to assist in accomplishing their travel, and more than 30 percent of the
travelers were enrolled in the Bureau's automated teller machine program. Under
this program, travelers are provided a convenient alternative to the traditional
method of obtaining cash advances directly from the Bureau through the imprest
fund or a Treasury check.

The Region used several procurement methods, including the imprest fund and the
Government purchase card programs, to acquire goods and services that were within
the small purchase limit ($25,000 or less). The use of purchase cards is a recent
innovation that can help streamline both the procurement and the payment
processes. The Region has widely promoted the program, with more than
65 employees authorized to use the purchase card for small purchases.

 
SCOPE OF INSPECTION

Our inspection was accomplished in accordance with the "Quality Standards for
Inspections," issued by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency, and,
accordingly, included such tests and inspection procedures considered necessary
under the circumstances to accomplish the stated objectives.  We focused our
inspection on the administrative activities associated with: (1) employee overtime and
travel; (2) the Regional Office imprest fund; and (3) the use of Government
purchase cards. The inspection was performed at the Mid-Pacific Regional Office.
Our inspection conclusions were based on information obtained from interviews with
Regional employees and supervisors and a review of applicable policies and
procedures.  As part of the inspection, we also performed a limited test of
transactions that occurred during fiscal years 1994 and 1995 and reviewed the
pertinent accounting records, invoices, and other documentation maintained in
support of these transactions.  We excluded property accountability from the
activities selected for inspection because the Department of the Interior implemented
a new property accountability policy on February 17, 1995. The results of our
inspection of the Regional Office's imprest fund activities were presented separately
in the report entitled "Mid-Pacific Regional Office Imprest Fund, Bureau of
Reclamation" (No. 95-1-681), dated March 17, 1995.

RESULTS OF INSPECTION

Our inspection of employee overtime, employee travel, and Government purchase
card use indicated that these administrative activities were generally conducted in
accordance with established laws and regulations and Bureau policies and
procedures. In that regard, our limited tests of transactions selected from fiscal years
1994 and 1995 identified only minor control weaknesses. On July 11, 1995, we
discussed the results of our inspection with Regional officials, who agreed to take
actions to address these weaknesses.

Since this report does not contain any recommendations, no response is required.
However, if you have any questions concerning this report please call Mr. Robert
Williams, Regional Audit Manager, Western Region, at (916) 979-2700.

cc:  Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation

2

 
               ILLEGAL OR WASTEFUL ACTIVITIES
                   SHOULD BE REPORTED TO
               THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL BY

Sending written documents to:              Calling:


          Within the Continental United States


U.S. Department of the Interior         Our 24-hour
Office of Inspector General             Telephone HOTLINE
P.O. Box 1593                           1-800-424-5081 or
Arlington, Virginia 22210               (703) 235-9399

                         TDD for the hearing impaired
                         (703) 235-9403 or
                         1-800-354-0996


          Outside the Continental United States


                     Caribbean Area

U.S. Department of the Interior            (809) 774-8300
Office of Inspector General
Caribbean Region
Federal Building & Courthouse
Veterans Drive, Room 207
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802


               North Pacific Region


U.S. Department of"the Interior            (700) 550-7279 or
Office of Inspector General               COMM 9-011-671-472:7279
North Pacific Region
238 Archbishop F. C. Flores Street
Suite 807, PDN Building
Agana, Guam 96910

 


     Toll Free Numbers
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     TDD 1-800-354-0996

     FTS/Commercial Numbers
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     TDD 703-235-9403

     HOTLINE

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     Arlington, Virginia  22210



   FTS/Commercial Numbers         

   703-235-9399 
   TDD 703-235-9403