Semiannual Report: April 1, 2012 - September 30, 2012

This is a publication by GAO's Inspector General that concerns internal GAO operations. This report is in accordance with Section 5 of the Government Accountability Office Act of 2008 (GAO Act). The report summarizes the activities of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the second reporting period of fiscal year 2012.

The GAO is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the Congress. It supports congressional oversight by (1) auditing agency operations to determine whether federal funds are being spent efficiently and effectively; (2) investigating allegations of illegal and improper activities; (3) reporting on how well government programs and policies are meeting their objectives; (4) performing policy analyses and outlining options for congressional consideration; and (5) issuing legal decisions and opinions, such as bid protest rulings and reports on agency rules.

Established as a statutory office by the GAO Act of 2008, GAO's OIG independently conducts audits, evaluations, and other reviews of GAO programs and operations and makes recommendations to promote the agency's economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The OIG also investigates allegations of potential fraud, waste, mismanagement, or other serious problems in GAO's operations including the possible violation of any law or regulation.

During this reporting period, we issued two audit reports. The first was an assessment of the extent to which GAO had developed the policies and procedures necessary to ensure that GAO staff appointed as contracting officer representatives are trained and certified. The second report analyzed whether GAO's Human Capital Office had established effective controls and oversight mechanisms to ensure that its recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives were consistent with GAO policy and the use of these incentives aligned with the agency's human capital strategic plan.

In addition, we initiated an audit to assess the extent to which GAO has implemented an effective process for reviewing and validating security clearance requirements and are in the process of finalizing our work plan for fiscal year 2013.