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Website
https://www.oig.doc.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Abbreviation
DOC
Agencies
Department of Commerce
Federal Agency
Yes
Location

United States

What to Report to the OIG Hotline
Commerce OIG maintains a Hotline for receiving allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or gross mismanagement in the Department of Commerce’s programs and operations, including any organization or entity receiving Departmental funds. The following is a list of examples of types of allegations that should be reported:
  • Contract and grant fraud
  • Environmental, health, and safety violations
  • Computer crimes (including internet pornography)
  • Product substitution and suspect/counterfeit parts
  • Bribery, kickbacks, and gratuities
  • False statements and false claims
  • Conflicts of interest and ethics violations
  • Travel fraud
  • Theft or abuse of government property
  • Gross mismanagement of funds
  • Other violations of federal laws and regulations
In addition, if you suspect that you have been retaliated against for whistleblowing, you may contact the Commerce OIG Hotline or the Office of Special Counsel.
What Not to Report to the OIG Hotline
Certain matters are better resolved through other channels, instead of the Commerce OIG Hotline. The following matters are NOT generally investigated by Commerce OIG:
  • 911 emergencies regarding a Departmental facility or operation. Report to the local or state law enforcement authorities and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
  • Complaints of EEO discrimination and retaliation. Report to the Department of Commerce’s Office of Civil Rights.
  • Personal theft. Report to Department of Commerce’s Office of Security.
  • Personnel matters involving requests for individual relief. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
  • Employment related grievances or complaints against management officials unless part of a whistleblower claim. Report to the servicing Office of Human Resources Management.
  • Assistance with the U.S. patent application process (e.g., initial filing, patent examination, and post-examination) and case prosecution concerns (e.g., claim objections, after-final practice, claim rejections and restrictions). Contact the Patents Ombudsman Office (https://www.uspto.gov/patent/ombudsman-program).
Hotline Page
https://www.oig.doc.gov/Pages/Online-Hotline-Complaint-Form.aspx
Whistleblower Protection Page
https://www.oig.doc.gov/Pages/Hotline.aspx

Semiannual Report to Congress, September 2019

2019
SAR-2019-09
Semiannual Report
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

This report summarizes work that we initiated and completed during this semiannual period on a number of critical Departmental activities. Over the past 6 months, our office issued 13 products related to our audit, evaluation, and inspection work. These products addressed programs and personnel...

Lack of Defined Processes and Procedures Impede Efforts to Monitor End-Use Check Performance

2020
OIG-20-019-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our final report on the audit of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) regarding foreign end users and exports, our objective was to assess the effectiveness of BIS’ efforts to ensure foreign end users are suitable to receive and use controlled U.S. exports in accordance with the Export...

Failures in the Department’s Security Program Resulted in Exposure of Sensitive Trade Information to Unvetted Foreign Nationals

2020
OIG-20-018-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For the final report on our audit of the Department of Commerce’s (the Department’s) Enterprise Web Solutions (EWS) system, our objectives were to determine whether the (1) processes used to vet contract staff given administrative access to the EWS system are adequate; (2) Department followed a...

2020 Census: Some Decennial Census Data Quality Assurance Methods Were Not Tested or Did Not Work as Intended During the 2018 End-to-End Census Test

2020
OIG-20-016-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our final audit report on the U.S. Census Bureau’s (the Bureau’s) 2018 End-to-End Census Test, with specific attention paid to the testing of peak operations, our objectives were to determine whether (1) the test included data quality components identified as success criteria in the test plan,...

NTIA and FirstNet Should Improve Controls to Strengthen the Fee Collection Process

2020
OIG-20-015-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our audit regarding the management of fee payments from AT&T Inc. to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). Our audit objectives were to determine whether FirstNet’s processes for setting, collecting, and managing fees, and the National Telecommunications and Information...

EDA Should Develop a Workforce Plan and Improve its Hiring Accountability to Successfully Award and Administer the Disaster Supplemental Funds Appropriated by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018

2020
OIG-20-014-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

For our final report on our audit of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA’s) Disaster Relief Workforce Planning, our audit objective was to determine whether EDA’s workforce planning process for awarding and administering the Disaster Supplemental funds was adequate and effective. We found...

Supplemental Memorandum on Report No. OIG-19-021-A, Audit of NOAA Financial Assistance Awards to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission

2020
OIG-20-007-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

This final memorandum addresses the results of our attempt to audit $5,030,452 that the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (the Commission) paid to its subrecipient, the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation (GSAFF), under financial assistance award NA10NMF4770481 from the National...

NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Needs to Improve the Planning and Governing of Its Ship Fleet Recapitalization Effort

2020
OIG-20-006-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

This is our final report on the audit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) ship fleet recapitalization effort. Our objective was to determine whether NOAA OMAO performed effective acquisition planning for its construction of...

The Department Needs to Improve Its Capability to Effectively Share Cyber Threat Information

2019
OIG-19-026-A
Audit
Department of Commerce OIG
Department of Commerce

This report provides the results of our audit to assess the Department of Commerce’s (the Department’s) cybersecurity information sharing program, consistent with the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA). Our audit objective was to determine the capabilities and practices of the...

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