Submitting OIG:
Report Description:
For our final report on our audit of the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) oversight of Patent Data Capture (PaDaCap) contracts, our audit objective was to determine whether USPTO awarded and administered PaDaCap contracts in compliance with applicable laws and federal regulations and U.S. Department of Commerce policies and procedures. To address this objective, we assessed the justification and approval of noncompetitive acquisitions, risk assessment and mitigation activities, and oversight of contractor performance. Overall, we found that USPTO did not fully comply with relevant requirements when awarding and administering the PaDaCap contracts. Specifically, we found the following: I. Ineffective acquisition planning delayed the use of competition and achieving lower prices; II. USPTO inadequately managed contract risks; III. USPTO did not timely inspect contractor deliverables and track errors; and IV. USPTO inadequately addressed contractor security issues.
Date Issued:
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Agency Reviewed / Investigated:
Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:
OIG-22-028-A
Component, if applicable:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Location(s):
Agency-Wide
Type of Report:
Audit
Questioned Costs:
$22,418,462
Funds for Better Use:
$0
Number of Recommendations:
5
View Document:
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
OIG-22-028.pdf | 4.92 MB |
Additional Details Link: