Why We Did This Report
We issued this management implication report to inform the Agency of our concerns regarding a lack of internal controls for detection and prevention of procurement collusion, and to provide considerations for establishing internal controls that would strengthen the EPA’s ability to detect and prevent procurement collusion and would allow us to conduct effective oversight of EPA solicitations.
Summary
We identified concerns regarding a lack of internal control methods within the EPA’s Office of Acquisition Solutions, or the OAS, for identifying and preventing collusion and anticompetitive behavior with respect to Agency procurement solicitations stored in the EPA Acquisition System, or the EAS.
We are concerned that the EPA does not structure all of its procurement data within the EAS to allow for the detection and prevention of fraudulent, collusive vendor behavior. The EPA could enable system features relatively easily that would structure losing and winning bid data within the EAS to strengthen its procurement fraud detection and prevention capabilities. In addition, the EPA could strengthen guidance and training for detecting and preventing collusive behavior amongst contractors and subcontractors. Furthermore, the EPA’s poor management of data stored in the EAS hinders the OIG’s ability to provide adequate oversight of the Agency’s procurement for goods and services.