AUDIT REPORT: OAS-L-03-03

December 3, 2002

Follow-Up Audit on the Department's Managment of Field Contractor Employees Assigned to Headquarters and Other Federal Agencies

In December 1997, the Office of Inspector General issued the Audit of the Department of Energy's Management of Field Contractor Employees Assigned to Headquarters and Other Federal Agencies (DOE/IG-0414).  The audit noted that the Department needed to take corrective actions to improve the controls over and properly account for field contractors assigned to Headquarters. 

Based on our audit recommendations, the Department issued DOE Order 350.2 to clarify and modify the policies and procedures for managing facility contractor employees assigned to Headquarters. This Order officially documents the policies and procedures for the use of field contractors at Headquarters. Since the issuance of our prior report, the Department has submitted annual reports to Congress on the use of such employees in the Washington, D.C. area. Further, Congress limited the number of field contractors that the Department can assign to Headquarters at 220 emrployees for FY 2002.