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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
12-N-0416
April 19, 2012
Why We Did This Review
To assess the quality of the
Office of Inspector General
(OIG) independent referencing
process, we surveyed Project
Managers (PMs) and their
respective Product Line Directors
(PLDs). The survey addressed
consistency among the Quality
Assurance (QA) staff, timeliness
of the reviews, best practices, and
areas of improvement.
Background
OIG Policy 006 states that the
quality of all worked performed
by the OIG significantly impacts
our credibility and effectiveness
in performing oversight functions
of U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency programs and activities.
Report indexes are reviewed (i.e.,
referenced) to provide reasonable
assurance that OIG reports are
factually supported in terms of
sufficiency, competency, and
relevancy of evidential matter.
Referencing provides reasonable
assurance that the reports comply
with generally accepted
government auditing standards.
Quality Assurance Report: Assessing the
Quality of the Independent Referencing
Process During Fiscal Year 2011
What We Found
Overall, the majority of PLDs/PMs who responded to our survey believe that
the independent referencing process is effective and efficient, and works well.
The respondents believe the referencers are consistent in the independent
referencing process. In addition, they believe the referencing process was
timely once the review began. Nonetheless, recommendations and
opportunities for improvements were identified by the PLDs/PMs.
What We Recommend
We made several recommendations to improve consistency and timeliness in
the referencing process. The QA staff agreed with most of the
recommendations. However, the QA staff did not agree with recommendations
where they believed independence would be compromised.
For further information, contact
our Office of Congressional and
Public Affairs at (202) 566-2391.
The full report is at:
www.epa.aov/oia/reports/2012/
20120419-12-N-0416.pdf

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