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Mining Violations: Interior Needs Management Control Over Automation Effort

IMTEC-86-27 Published: Jul 28, 1986. Publicly Released: Aug 05, 1986.
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Highlights

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed various aspects of the Department of the Interior's effort to revise its automated Collection Management Information System.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Interior To ensure that appropriate management controls are established over the effort to develop and implement a Collection Management Information System, the Secretary of the Interior should not provide further funding for the contract to revise the system until the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) has prepared a requirements analysis, a software conversion study, a work-load estimate, and an economic cost analysis that conform to the requirements in its Departmental Manual.
Closed – Implemented
Interior informed GAO that OSM reported that all of the recommendations have been implemented. GAO has requested implementation documentation from OSM, but has not received it. Interior does not plan to provide GAO with documentation.
Department of the Interior The Secretary of the Interior should also direct the Director, OSM, to: (1) conduct another quality assurance test using statistically valid random sampling techniques; (2) develop a statistically valid methodology for use in conducting monthly quality assurance tests on a sample of the database cases; and (3) develop within OSM the capability needed to successfully develop and operate the collection system.
Closed – Implemented
According to Interior, a software program is in place and being implemented to detect input errors and make sure all edits are occurring and the Mitre Corporation developed and structured two statistically valid random samples from the entire Collection Management Information System. GAO requested implementation documentation, but Interior does not plan to provide GAO with the documentation.
Department of the Interior In view of the possibility that review requirements are not being followed for other procurements under $10 million, the Secretary of the Interior should direct the Director, Office of Information Resources Management, to establish management controls over the acquisition of computer services under $10 million to ensure that such acquisitions are justified and properly managed.
Closed – Implemented
Interior informed GAO that OSM reported that all of the recommendations have been implemented. GAO requested implementation documentation from OSM, but has not received it. Interior does not plan to provide GAO with documentation.

Full Report

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Topics

IT acquisitionsDatabase management systemsData integrityFines (penalties)Information systemsRecordsSurface mining land reclamationSystems conversionsMiningQuality assurance