Lawmakers demand answers from Doan on proposed IG cut

Congress is upset about the General Services Administration’s proposals to cut its inspector general’s budget and send auditing duties to private companies, and lawmakers are letting GSA Administrator Lurita Doan know it. Several lawmakers have denounced the proposals and want explanations.

Disappointed senators sent Doan a letter today wanting to know her reasons for the proposals, and three Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee — including incoming Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) — requested Dec. 5 that Doan cancel her decision to move pre-award audits to the private sector.
Doan is “tampering with a system that works well, all to alleviate the ‘stress’ of corporations that have attempted to overcharge the taxpayer,” the representatives wrote.

On Oct. 19, Doan announced she would move oversight to small 8(a) audit firms. One of her goals for 2007 is to balance the role of the IG because firms have concerns about the office’s oversight.

“Our contracting personnel spend so much time responding to the IG, and there is a certain ‘fear factor’ that enters into that,” she said. She questioned how many pre-award audits are needed. If GSA and the IG conduct audits, Doan said it would waste money because the IG uses appropriated funds.

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