DOE Contracting: Risk-Informed Oversight and Clearer Expectations for Assurance Systems Would Improve Accountability

What GAO Found Selected field offices in Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) have taken steps to evaluate effectiveness of contractor assurance systems (CAS) in accordance with DOE policy, though neither DOE nor EM have defined effectiveness or specified evaluation criteria. The basis on which the selected field offices made their respective effectiveness determinations was unclear (see table). In addition, all selected field offices reported examples of poor CAS performance and recurring issues that undermined the reliability of the effectiveness determinations. How Selected EM Field Offices Assessed Contractor Assurance System (CAS) Effectiveness Selected field office CAS effectiveness determination Was CAS effectiveness defined? Were effectiveness criteria included? Hanford Effective No No Idaho Effective No No Los Alamos Not determined No No Source: GAO analysis of Office of Environmental Managment (EM) information. | GAO-26-107850 Hanford: The field office reported that the contractor demonstrated poor work planning and conduct of operations, requiring EM to formally request a corrective action plan in several areas. Also, the contractor’s revi