March 20, 2003

Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform

Statement of Gregory H. Friedman Inspector General, U.S. Department of Energy

Request to testify on the Department of Energy's (Department) contract administration activities. The Department is one of the most contractor dependent agencies in the Federal government. It places great reliance on contract operations to accomplish its mission. The basic premise of this relationship is that contractors manage the day-to-day operations, while the Department is responsible for administering the contracts to ensure that the taxpayers receive fair value for their money and that the contractors are held accountable for their performance.