Attached is the final report regarding the Quality Assurance Review (QAR) of the Investigative Operations of the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General. This report includes the Opinion Letter and Letter of Suggested Improvements/Best Practices.
The Amtrak OIG is starting a review to assess Amtrak’s top management and performance challenges. Traditionally, similar reviews by audit organizations have focused on high-risk activities and performance issues that affect operations and/or strategic goals. Results from those reviews have proven that it is important to periodically identify and report the top management and performance challenges to management and other decision-makers that could potentially affect efforts to improve operations and achieve their strategic goals.
In August 2012 the Inspector General testified before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, about plans for future work in the food and beverage area. This letter is to advise you that the OIG is initiating an audit to identify and review best practices used by public- and private-sector entities that provide food and beverage services to passengers, such as foreign passenger railroads and airlines.
We are initiating a follow-up audit of Amtrak’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). ADA became law in 1990 and required that intercity rail stations be made accessible to persons with disabilities by July 26, 2010. In September 2011, we reported that Amtrak had not met this requirement since only 48 of the 482 (10 percent) stations it serves were ADA-compliant. Amtrak established a goal of having the remaining stations ADA-compliant by September 30, 2015.
This is to inform you that we are initiating a survey of issues related to North East Corridor (NEC) infrastructure projects. The successful accomplishment of ongoing and planned NEC infrastructure projects in an effective and efficient manner are of high priority to the Corporation, the Board of Directors, the Congress, and other stakeholders. Our overall objective is to keep apprised of NEC infrastructure planning and implementation issues.
The OIG is initiating an audit of Amtrak's processes for managing its capital programs. The objective of this audit is to determine the adequacy of Amtrak's capital program management practices to include policies and procedures for managing its capital programs in the areas of estimating, scheduling, oversight, and project close-out.
This is to inform you, we are starting an audit to assess Amtrak's progress in implementing the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) provisions. PRIIA Section 221 requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to assess Amtrak and Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) progress in implementing the Act's provisions within three years of PRIIA’s enactment, and two years thereafter.
The Amtrak FY2012–2016 Five-Year Financial Plan outlines the company’s strategy for investing in infrastructure and fleet acquisitions to maintain a “state of good repair.” To meet Amtrak’s procurement demands, the Procurement and Materials Management Department must have acquisition and contracting workforce planning and training programs. Therefore, the Office of Inspector General is initiating a survey of Amtrak Procurement and Materials Management’s identification and development of the skills of contracting agents and contracting officials’ technical representatives.
This is to inform you that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an engagement to monitor the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Amtrak Consolidated Financial Statement Audit (Project 007-2013) and Single Audit (Project 00B-2013).
This is to inform you that our office is initiating an audit and investigation project to assess the effectiveness of controls in Amtrak's various business processes such as Purchase to Payment, Materials Management, Payroll, Health Care, and Claims. This project will rely heavily on data analysis software tools. Analysis of organizational data using specialized software is increasingly becoming the preferred way of conducting audits and proactive investigations in the IG community.