July 26, 2000

Inspection of Cost Recovery Concerns at the Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), received a complaint concerning possible misuse of cost recovery funds at the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). Specifically, it was alleged that: 1) some cost recovery funds from DOE’s Office of Defense Programs were placed in OSTI’s “general fund” and used for miscellaneous expenses unrelated to the Work Authorization provided by Defense Programs; 2) some cost recovery funds were used to cover Federal employee salaries; and 3) Defense Programs funds were used to purchase a computer server which was not used for a Defense Programs project. As you know, since the inception of our review, the Office of Defense Programs has become part of the National Nuclear Security Administration.