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REPORT TO THE OFFICE OF THE 

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 

Date Issued: March 31, 2015

Report Number: 17-15-002-13-001

REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

CONFERENCE COSTS, APPROVALS, AND 

REPORTING

U.S. Department of Labor

Office of Inspector General

—Office of Audit
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Department of Labor

Office of Inspector General 

Office of Audit 

BRIEFLY... 

Highlights of Report Number 17-15-002-13-001, 

issued to the Acting Chief Financial Officer. 

WHY READ THE REPORT 

New federal requirements have added greater 

scrutiny of federally-sponsored and attended 

conferences. The Office of Management and 

Budget issued Memorandum M-12-12, Promoting 

Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations, 

which requires federal agencies and employees to 

exercise discretion and judgment in ensuring 

conference expenses are appropriate, necessary, 

and managed in a manner that minimizes expense 

to taxpayers. In addition, Executive Order (EO) 

13589, Promoting Efficient Spending, requires 

executive departments and agencies to act in a 

fiscally responsible manner by reducing costs at 

least 20 percent below Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 

levels, in FY 2013. 

WHY OIG CONDUCTED THE AUDIT 

Because of scrutiny of federally-sponsored and 

attended conferences, we performed a review to 

answer the following questions: 

Did the Department of Labor (DOL) establish 

adequate controls to ensure compliance with 

federal and DOL requirements for conference 

costs, approvals, and reporting? 

Did DOL reduce the costs identified in EO 13589 

by 20 percent in FY 2013? 

READ THE FULL REPORT 

To view the report, including the scope, 

methodology, and full agency response, go to: 

http://www.oig.dol.gov/public/reports/oa/2015/17-

15-002-13-001.pdf. 

March 2015 

REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 

CONFERENCE COSTS, APPROVALS, AND 

REPORTING 

WHAT OIG FOUND 

DOL established adequate controls to ensure its 

compliance with federal and DOL requirements for 

conference costs. However, we found one of the 

six FY 2013 DOL-sponsored conferences 

exceeding $100,000 did not obtain the Deputy 

Secretary’s approval in accordance with federal 

requirements. In addition, the DOL did not report 

five of these conferences on its website, and did 

not report two to the Office of Inspector General 

(OIG) as required. DOL also failed to report 10 of 

16 conferences costing between $20,000 and 

$100,000 to OIG as required. In addition, to 

comply with EO 13589, the Office of the Chief 

Financial Officer (OCFO) reported DOL reduced 

costs by $85.5 million in FY 2013, claiming to have 

exceeded its reduction target of $61 million by 

$24.5 million. However, DOL did not include the 

total FY 2010 costs for all the cost categories cited 

in EO 13589 in its reduction target; therefore, it 

could not ensure the reported amount accurately 

represented a 20 percent reduction in costs. 

WHAT OIG RECOMMENDED 

We made three recommendations to the Acting 

Chief Financial Officer to: (1) ensure all 

conferences, including training conferences, are 

approved and reported as required; (2) identify the 

total FY 2010 costs for each category identified in 

EO 13589 and determine if DOL achieved a 

20 percent reduction in the combined costs, and 

(3) reemphasize to agency heads that as soon as 

they realize actual conference costs are going to 

exceed the approved amount by more than 

10 percent they should reengage in the conference 

review and clearance process. 

OCFO generally agreed with the 

recommendations. However, OCFO did not 

believe it would be a cost effective use of 

resources to identify the total FY 2010 costs for 

each category included in EO 13589 to determine 

if DOL achieved a 20 percent reduction in costs. 

OCFO’s complete response is in Appendix C. 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Table of Contents

Inspector General’s Report .......................................................................................... 1

Objective — Did DOL establish adequate controls to ensure compliance with 

federal and DOL requirements for conference costs, approvals, and 

reporting?............................................................................................................ 2

Conference costs complied with DOL guidance; however, conference 

approvals were not always obtained as required. ........................................... 2

OCFO did not always report conferences as required.......................................... 4

Objective — Did DOL reduce the costs identified in Executive Order 13589 by 20 

percent in FY 2013?............................................................................................ 8

Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 9

Appendices.................................................................................................................. 11

Appendix A Objectives, Scope, Methodology, and Criteria ................................ 13

Appendix B Acronyms and Abbreviations........................................................... 15

Appendix C OCFO Response to Draft Report .................................................... 17

Appendix D Acknowledgements......................................................................... 19
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Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

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U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

1 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General

 Washington, D.C. 20210

March 31, 2015

Inspector General’s Report

Karen Tekleberhan

Acting Chief Financial Officer 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

On September 21, 2011, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued M-11-35, 

Eliminating Excess Conference Spending and Promoting Efficiency. OMB M-11-35 

directed federal agencies and departments to conduct a thorough review of the policies 

and controls associated with conference-related activities and expenses to ensure they 

mitigate the risk of inappropriate conference spending practices. In addition, OMB

issued M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations, on 

May 11, 2012, which requires all conferences in excess of $100,000 be approved by 

senior level officials to ensure no federal funds are used for unnecessary or 

inappropriate purposes, and all conference expenses in excess of $100,000 to be 

reported in a dedicated place on a department’s website. 

The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 required 

departments to notify their respective Inspector General within 15 business days of a 

conference ending for which the cost to the United States Government was more than 

$20,000 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, and required departments to submit a report to their

Inspector General for each conference in which the cost to the United States 

Government was more than $100,000 during FY 2013.

Finally, Executive Order (EO) 13589, Promoting Efficient Spending, signed on 

November 15, 2011, required each agency to establish a plan for reducing the 

combined costs associated with travel, printing, advisory services, and employee 

information technology (IT) devices by 20 percent below FY 2010 levels, in FY 2013. 

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OFCO) is 

responsible for establishing policies and procedures to ensure conferences sponsored 

by DOL component agencies are appropriate, necessary, and managed in a manner 

that minimizes expense to taxpayers. OCFO was also responsible for developing DOL’s 

plan to comply with EO 13589.

We conducted this review to answer the following questions: 

• Did DOL establish adequate controls to ensure compliance with federal 

and DOL requirements for conference costs, approvals, and reporting? 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

2 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

• Did DOL reduce the costs identified in EO 13589 by 20 percent in 

FY 2013? 

We found DOL established adequate controls to ensure compliance with federal and 

DOL requirements for conference costs; however, not all conferences were approved 

and reported as required. In addition, DOL could not demonstrate it reduced costs by 

20 percent in FY 2013 in accordance with EO 13589. 

Our review covered all six conferences exceeding $100,000 that DOL sponsored during 

FY 2013, to identify if they met requirements for costs, approvals, and reporting, as well 

as conferences costing between $20,000 and $100,000 that DOL sponsored during the 

same period to determine if the conferences met requirements for reporting. We also 

reviewed expense reports from DOL’s financial system to verify compliance with 

EO 13589. We conducted our review between January and September 2014, under the 

Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation issued January 2012 by the Council of 

the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Our objectives, scope, methodology, 

and criteria are detailed in Appendix A. 

RESULTS 

Objective — Did DOL establish adequate controls to ensure compliance with 

federal and DOL requirements for conference costs, approvals, and 

reporting?

DOL established adequate controls to ensure its compliance with federal and DOL 

requirements for conference costs. However, we found one of the six FY 2013 

DOL-sponsored conferences exceeding $100,000 did not obtain the Deputy Secretary’s 

approval in accordance with federal requirements. In addition, DOL was not always 

reporting conferences on its website or to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in 

accordance with federal requirements. Of the 6 conferences exceeding $100,000, 

OCFO did not report five on the DOL website and did not report two to OIG. OCFO also 

failed to report 10 of 16 conferences costing between $20,000 and $100,000 to OIG. 

Conference costs complied with DOL guidance; however, conference approvals 

were not always obtained as required. 

Our review of all 6 FY 2013 DOL-sponsored conferences exceeding $100,000 

determined that reported costs were in accordance with DOL guidance (see Table 1 – 

Conferences Exceeding $100,000 Sponsored by DOL). However, one of the six

conferences did not obtain the Deputy Secretary’s approval in accordance with federal 

requirements. 

Before DOL component agencies can sponsor a conference, agency heads are 

required to submit a conference request package to DOL’s Conference Request Team. 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

3 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

The package must include:

1. a conference request template signed by the agency head; 

2. a memorandum submitted by the agency head providing background 

information about the request; and 

3. any relevant supporting documentation. 

Table 1 – Conferences Exceeding $100,000 Sponsored by DOL

Conference 

Name Agency

Estimated

Cost Actual Cost Difference

Date of 

Conference

2013 

Managers' 

Conference

Employee 

Benefits 

Security 

Administration

$172,994 $161,226 (6.8%) 7/29/2013 – 

8/2/2013

Basic 

Compliance 

Officer 

Training

Office of 

Federal 

Contract 

Compliance 

Programs

$160,884 $173,182 7.6% 2/12/2013 – 

2/22/2013

Basic I 

Training

Wage and 

Hour $194,367 $211,982 9.1% 1/28/2013 –2/15/2013

Basic II 

Training

Wage and 

Hour $414,989 $400,669 (3.5%) 2/25/2013 –3/15/2013

Basic IA 

Training 

Wage and 

Hour $130,629 $121,874 (6.7%) 4/8/2013 –4/26/2013

Basic II 

Training

Wage and 

Hour $225,091 $237,740 5.6% 7/15/2013 –8/2/2013

Total $1,298,954 $1,306,673 

DOL’s Conference Request Team includes members from OCFO, the Office of the 

Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM), and the Office of the 

Solicitor. The Conference Request Team reviews submitted documentation to 

determine if a conference is necessary and includes only appropriate expenses. The 

Conference Request Team must approve a request in order for the component agency 

to move forward with its planning. 

If estimated conference expenses are expected to be less than $100,000, the 

Conference Request Team can approve it with no further review, but if a conference 

exceeds $100,000, OCFO prepares a memo from the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to 

the Deputy Secretary to recommend approval. In accordance with OMB M-12-12, the 

Deputy Secretary has final approval for all conferences exceeding $100,000. OMB 

M-12-12 requires Deputy Secretaries (or their equivalents) to approve the spending for 

all proposed new conferences to be sponsored or hosted by their agency (or by other 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

4 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

federal or non-federal entities) where the net conference expenses by the agency will 

be in excess of $100,000. Upon receipt of approval by DOL’s Deputy Secretary, OCFO 

officials remind component agencies that if approved conference expenses increased

10 percent or more, the agency head must request approval of the additional costs via 

the conference review and clearance process.

We determined OCFO submitted five of the six conference packages to the then Deputy 

Secretary as required, and all five received approval. However, one conference — 

Wage and Hour’s Basic II Training conducted from July 15 to August 2, 2013 — was not 

submitted to the then Deputy Secretary for approval. Although other similar Wage and 

Hour conference packages had been submitted to the then Deputy Secretary, the then 

CFO subsequently determined training conferences were exempt from this requirement. 

However, OMB M-12-12 does not exclude training conferences from the requirement to 

approve the spending for all proposed new conferences to be sponsored or hosted by 

an agency (or by other federal or non-federal entities) where the net conference 

expenses by the agency will be in excess of $100,000. Our review of the conferences’ 

final costs did not identify deviations exceeding 10 percent from the initially approved 

costs. 

Subsequent issue noted – cost overrun.

Although the scope of our review was FY 2013 conference activity, it came to our 

attention that in FY 2014, the Wage and Hour Division conducted a conference that 

reported final costs at least 10 percent higher than the original cost estimate. According 

to OCFO, Wage and Hour officials did not seek approval for the increased costs as 

required. The approved cost of the conference was $241,598; however, Wage and Hour 

officials reported to OCFO the final cost of the conference was $380,382. The difference 

between the estimated and actual cost was $138,784, an increase of 57 percent over

the estimated conference costs. Wage and Hour officials should have requested 

approval for the higher costs, as soon as they realized actual costs were going to 

exceed the approved amount by more than 10 percent. 

According to Wage and Hour officials, three factors caused the cost overage: (1) airfare 

costs exceeded the original estimates; (2) a significant number of travelers incurred an 

additional night of lodging in order to be present at the kick-off plenary; and (3) the 

agency added 10 new managers to the attendee list. OCFO officials stated they 

reminded Wage and Hour officials, through an email on April 16, 2014, of the 

requirement for the agency to reengage in the conference review and clearance 

process if it anticipates an increase in conference expenses of 10 percent or more. 

OCFO did not always report conferences as required. 

We found OCFO did not report five of the six agency conferences that exceeded

$100,000 on DOL’s website as required. Additionally, OCFO did not timely report two of 

the six conferences exceeding $100,000, and 10 of the 16 conferences costing between 

$20,000 and $100,000 to OIG as required.
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

5 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

OCFO did not report conferences on the DOL website. 

OMB M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations, requires all 

conference expenses in excess of $100,000 to be reported in a dedicated place on an

agency’s website. 

We checked DOL’s website to determine if all six conferences were reported, but found 

only one — the Employee Benefits Security Administration’s 2013 Managers’ 

Conference. According to OCFO officials, the remaining five conferences were not 

reported on the website because they were considered training, which OCFO 

interpreted to be excluded from the reporting requirement. However, OMB M-12-12

does not exclude training conferences from the reporting requirement and specifically 

states that conferences include training activities. In addition, OMB M-12-12 states

conference expenses, which would include training conferences, include all direct and 

indirect conference costs paid by the Government, whether paid directly by agencies or 

reimbursed by agencies to travelers or others associated with the conference. OCFO 

officials stated all conferences exceeding $100,000 are now reported on the DOL

website. 

OCFO failed to report conferences exceeding $100,000 to OIG. 

The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, Section 3003, 

dated March 26, 2013, required a federal department to submit a report to its Inspector 

General regarding the purpose, number of participants, costs, and contracting 

procedures related to each conference for which the cost to the United States 

Government was more than $100,000 during FY 2013. 

We determined OCFO did not report two of the six conferences exceeding $100,000 to 

OIG as required (see Table 2 – Conferences Exceeding $100,000 Required to be 

Reported to OIG for details of the six conferences). Similar to the conferences not 

reported on DOL’s website, OCFO officials stated the two conferences were not 

reported to OIG because they were also considered training, which OCFO interpreted to 

be excluded from the reporting requirement. However, the Consolidated and Further 

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 and OMB M-12-12 do not exclude training 

conferences from the reporting requirement and OCFO’s own policy states conferences 

include training. OCFO officials stated all conferences exceeding $100,000 have now

been reported to OIG. 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

6 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Table 2 – Conferences Exceeding $100,000 Required to be Reported to OIG

Conference

Name Agency

Conference

End Date

Date Reported

to OIG

2013

Managers 

Conference

Employee Benefits 

Security 

Administration

08/02/2013 08/07/2013

Basic Compliance

Officer Training

Office of Federal 

Contract Compliance 

Programs

02/22/2013 04/30/2013

Basic II Training Wage and Hour 03/15/2013 04/30/2013

Basic I Training Wage and Hour 02/15/2013 04/30/2013

Basic II Training Wage and Hour 08/02/2013 Not Reported

Basic IA Training Wage and Hour 04/26/2013 Not Reported

The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, Section 3003, also 

requires that within 15 business days of a conference ending for which the cost to the 

United States Government was more than $20,000 in FY 2013, the Inspector General 

shall be notified of the date, location, and number of employees attending such 

conference. DOL sponsored 38 conferences during FY 2013 that cost more than 

$20,000, 16 of which were subject to the reporting requirement.

1

 Of these 16 

conferences, we identified 10 that were not reported to OIG within 15 days of their

completion (see Table 3 – Conferences Exceeding $20,000 Not Timely Reported to 

OIG). 

 

1

We excluded 22 conferences from review because they were completed prior to passage of the Consolidated and 

Further Continuing Appropriation Act, 2013, and therefore, were not required to meet the 15-day reporting 

requirement. 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

7 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Table 3: Conferences Exceeding $20,000 Not Timely Reported to OIG

Conference

Name Agency

Conference

End Date

Date 

Reported

To OIG

Number of 

Business 

Days Until

Reported to

OIG Cost

Section 14(c) Wage and Hour 04/05/13 05/16/13 29 days $77,841

National Indian

And Native 

American Training

Employment 

and Training 05/02/13 05/30/13 19 days $65,167

Regional Directors 

and Managers

Meeting

Employment 

and Training 09/25/13 11/18/13 36 days $62,137

Consumer Price 

Index – 

Commodity and 

Service

Bureau of Labor 

Statistics 05/02/13 06/24/13 36 Days $38,500

National 

Compensation 

Survey Phase 2 

Training

Bureau of Labor 

Statistics 05/02/13 06/24/13 36 Days $38,200

Consumer Price 

Index – 

Commodity and 

Service

Bureau of Labor 

Statistics 05/23/13 06/24/13 21 Days $36,000

Occupational 

Requirements 

Survey Data

Collection

Regional Training

Bureau of Labor 

Statistics 04/19/13 06/24/13 45 Days $23,700

Basic II Training Wage and Hour 08/02/13

Not 

Reported N/A $225,091

Basic IA Training Wage and Hour 4/26/2013

Not 

Reported N/A $121,874

Consultation

Training

Conference

Office of Safety

and Health 4/18/13 6/12/13 38 Days $77,560

OCFO officials stated the reason the four Bureau of Labor Statistics conference reports 

were submitted late to OIG was that BLS received a blanket approval for all four 

conferences and did not submit final conference costs to OCFO until all four were 

completed. This delayed OCFO’s reporting of the individual conferences to OIG. In 

addition, OCFO officials stated the two Wage and Hour conferences that were not 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

8 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

reported to OIG were considered training, which OCFO interpreted to be excluded from 

the reporting requirement. OCFO officials acknowledged the late reporting of the 

remaining four conferences was an oversight. OCFO officials further stated they now 

send an email to component agencies after each conference is scheduled to be 

completed — even if it is part of a blanket approval — requiring them to provide final 

conference costs to OCFO. This will allow OCFO to monitor conference completion 

dates and ensure timely reporting to OIG. OCFO officials stated all conferences 

exceeding $20,000 are now reported to OIG within15 business days of a conference’s 

ending.

Objective — Did DOL reduce the costs identified in Executive Order 13589 by 20 

percent in FY 2013?

DOL could not demonstrate it reduced costs by 20 percent in FY 2013 in accordance 

with EO 13589, which required each agency to establish a plan for reducing the 

combined costs associated with travel, employee IT devices, printing, executive fleet 

efficiencies, and extraneous promotional items by not less than 20 percent below 

FY 2010 levels in FY 2013. 

EO 13589, Promoting Efficient Spending, states: 

Each agency shall establish a plan for reducing the combined costs 

associated with the activities covered by sections 3 through 7 of this order, 

as well as activities included in the Administrative Efficiency Initiative in 

the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, by not less than 20 percent below Fiscal 

Year 2010 levels, in Fiscal Year 2013. Agency plans for meeting this 

target shall be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

within 45 days of the date of this order. The OMB shall monitor 

implementation of these plans consistent with Executive Order 13576 of 

June 13, 2011 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable 

Government).

Sections 3 through 7 of EO 13589 comprise the following categories: travel, employee 

information technology devices, printing, executive fleet efficiencies, and extraneous 

promotional items.

OCFO submitted a plan to OMB that comprised seven cost categories: travel, printing, 

advisory services, supplies, employee IT devices, executive fleet efficiencies, and 

extraneous promotional items. However, the plan identified FY 2010 baseline costs for 

only four of those cost categories — travel, printing, advisory services, and supplies — 

which resulted in a 20 percent total reduction target of $61 million. While the plan 

included IT devices, executive fleet efficiencies, and extraneous promotional items, it 

did not identify the FY 2010 baseline costs or include these in the reduction target. By 

including only certain categories, DOL could potentially manipulate its calculated cost 

reductions. Employee IT devices, executive fleet efficiencies, and extraneous 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

9 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

promotional items were required by EO 13589 to be included in the reduction target. As 

such, OCFO could not demonstrate the $61 million reduction target was actually 

20 percent below the FY 2010 levels for all cost categories as required by EO 13589.

OCFO officials stated they should have done a better job in developing the plan. 

In FY 2013, OCFO reported DOL reduced total costs in the above four categories by 

$85.5 million, thereby exceeding its reduction target of $61 million by $24.5 million. We 

analyzed DOL’s FY 2013 quarterly expense reports for the above four cost categories 

and confirmed DOL’s $85.5 million reduction was accurate. However, because DOL did 

not include the total FY 2010 costs for all the categories cited in EO 13589, it could not 

ensure the $61 million target accurately represented a 20 percent reduction in 

accordance with EO 13589.

Recommendations

We recommend the Acting CFO: 

1. Ensure all conferences, including training conferences, are approved and 

reported as required. 

2. Identify the total FY 2010 costs for each category identified in EO 13589 and 

determine if DOL achieved a 20 percent reduction in the combined costs. 

3. Reemphasize to agency heads that as soon as they realize actual conference 

costs are going to exceed the approved amount by more than 10 percent they 

should reengage in the conference review and clearance process. 

OCFO Response 

OCFO generally agreed with the report’s recommendations and has planned to take 

actions to address them. OCFO stated DOL has reduced travel costs by nearly 

40 percent below the FY 2010 level, which exceeds the 30 percent required by OMB M12-12. OCFO further stated that since DOL’s travel cuts were well above the mandated 

reductions, to further identify the combined costs would not be a prudent use of 

government funds. Additionally, DOL’s spending for information technology devices 

does not reside in a separate object class, and would require a significant effort by 

OCFO to manually determine the amounts obligated for FY 2010 to comply with 

EO 13589. 

OIG Conclusion 

DOL is entrusted with public funds and it should strive to demonstrate that it complies 

with all federal guidance to reduce costs to the government. While OMB M-12-12 

required additional reductions in DOL’s overall travel costs, it did not alleviate the DOL’s 

responsibility to comply with EO 13589 and demonstrate that it had reduced the 

combined costs associated with travel, employee IT devices, printing, executive fleet 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

10 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

efficiencies, and extraneous promotional items by not less than 20 percent below 

FY 2010 levels in FY 2013. 

We appreciate the cooperation and courtesies OCFO personnel extended to the Office 

of Inspector General during this review. OIG personnel who made major contributions to 

this report are listed in Appendix D. 

Elliot P. Lewis 

Assistant Inspector General

 for Audit
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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11 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Appendices
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U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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13 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

 Appendix A 

Objectives, Scope, Methodology, and Criteria

Objectives

1. Did DOL establish adequate controls to ensure compliance with federal and DOL 

requirements for conference costs, approvals, and reporting?

2. Did DOL reduce the costs identified in EO 13589 by 20 percent in FY 2013? 

Scope

Our review covered all six conferences exceeding $100,000, as well as 31 conferences 

between $20,000 and $100,000 that DOL sponsored during FY 2013. We conducted 

our work at the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, DC, during the period January 

to September 2014, under the Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation issued 

January 2012 by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Methodology

We reviewed all 6 conferences exceeding $100,000 sponsored by DOL during FY 2013 

to determine if they met requirements for costs, approvals, and reporting. In addition, we 

reviewed the 31 DOL-sponsored conferences during FY 2013 costing between $20,000 

and $100,000 to determine if they met requirements for reporting. We interviewed 

OCFO officials to gain an understanding of DOL’s controls to ensure compliance with 

EO 13589. We reviewed conference documentation submitted by component agencies 

to OCFO to determine compliance with federal and DOL requirements, and reviewed 

expense reports from DOL’s financial system to verify its compliance with EO 13589. In 

addition, we interviewed staff from OCFO to obtain and verify information collected and 

our analysis conducted for all conferences reviewed. 

Criteria

1. EO 13589, Promoting Efficient Spending, November 9, 2011

 

2. OMB M-11-35, Eliminating Excess Conference Spending and Promoting 

Efficiency in Government , September 21, 2011

4. OMB M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations, May 

11, 2012 

5. Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, March 26, 2013

6. DOL Standardized Procedures for the Clearance of Conferences, 

February 17, 2012
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

14 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

7. DOL Conference Planning and Review Policy, February 17, 2012
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

Conference Costs, Approvals, and Reporting

15 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

 Appendix B 

Acronyms and Abbreviations 

CFO Chief Financial Officer

Department Department of Labor

DOL Department of Labor 

EO Executive Order

FY Fiscal Year

IT Information Technology

OASAM Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management 

OCFO Office of the Chief Financial Officer

OIG Office of Inspector General

OMB Office of Management and Budget
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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16 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

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U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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17 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Appendix C 

OCFO Response to Draft Report 
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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18 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General 

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19 Report No. 17-15-002-13-001

Appendix D 

Acknowledgements 

Key contributors to this report were Tracy Katz, Zaunder Saucer, Grover Fowler, and 

Jesse Blatz.
TO REPORT FRAUD, WASTE OR ABUSE, PLEASE CONTACT:

Online: http://www.oig.dol.gov/hotlineform.htm

Email: hotline@oig.dol.gov

Telephone: 1-800-347-3756

 202-693-6999

Fax: 202-693-7020

Address: Office of Inspector General

U.S. DOL of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Room S-5506

Washington, D.C. 20210