Semiannual Report to Congress

April 1, 2006-September 30, 2006
Office of the Inspector General

On September 14, 2006, the Inspector General testified before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Science, the Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies, concerning “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” His testimony focused on the FBI’s Sentinel program, a multi-year project to upgrade the FBI’s IT systems. He discussed the preliminary results of the OIG’s second audit of Sentinel that examines the FBI’s contracting for the project, including whether the FBI is establishing the necessary work requirements and baselines. The Inspector General testified that, although the OIG’s current audit is not complete, preliminary findings indicate that the FBI has made progress toward resolving most of the OIG’s initial concerns about planning for the Sentinel project. However, some concerns, such as the full staffing of the Sentinel Program Management Office, have not yet been fully addressed. Moreover, the current audit has identified additional issues that the OIG believes the FBI must resolve in order to avoid serious problems as the Sentinel project continues through its first phase of development and enters its more challenging and higher-risk second phase in early 2007. These issues include uncertainty over risk mitigation, contingency planning, and total project costs. On August 3, 2006, the Counselor to the Inspector General testified before the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission regarding the OIG’s efforts to vigorously investigate allegations concerning sexual abuse of inmates by federal correctional officers. On May 2, 2006, the Inspector General testified before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary concerning “Oversight of the FBI.” His testimony covered a variety of topics, including the FBI’s efforts to upgrade its IT systems.