VERIFICATION REVIEW 

 

Recommendation for the Report 

Titled Interim Costs Claimed by 

Coastal Environmental Group, 

Under Contract Nos. 

INF13PC00214 and INF13PC00195 

With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (X-CX-FWS-0002-2014) 

Report No.: 2020-FIN-049 September 2020 
Memorandum 

To: Tonya Johnson

Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director, Office of Financial Management

From: Chris Stubbs 

Director, Office of Financial and Contract Audits 

Subject: Verification Review – Recommendation for the Report Titled Interim Costs 

Claimed by Coastal Environmental Group, Under Contract Nos. 

INF13PC00214 and INF13PC00195 With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Report No. X-CX-FWS-0002-2014) 

Report No. 2020-FIN-049 

The Office of Inspector General has completed a verification review of the 

recommendation presented in the subject report. Our objective was to determine whether the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) implemented the recommendation as reported to the 

Office of Financial Management (PFM), Office of Policy, Management and Budget. The PFM 

reported to us that it had closed the recommendation. We concur that the recommendation has 

been resolved and implemented. 

Background 

Our May 2016 report, Interim Costs Claimed by Coastal Environmental Group, Under 

Contract Nos. INF13PC00214 and INF13PC00195 With the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

made one recommendation designed to resolve the total unsupported costs of $2,009,036. 

The FWS partially concurred with the report’s recommendation in a response dated 

January 14, 2016, and detailed steps the agency planned to take to address the recommendation. 

In a June 23, 2016 memorandum, we referred the recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for 

Policy, Management and Budget to track its implementation. 

Scope and Methodology 

We limited the scope of this review to determining whether the FWS implemented the 

recommendation we reported. To accomplish this, we obtained and reviewed the supporting 

documentation that FWS officials provided and discussed actions taken related to the 

recommendation. We did not test internal controls, perform any site visits, or conduct fieldwork 

to determine whether the FWS had corrected the underlying deficiencies that were initially 

identified. As a result, this review was not conducted in accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the 

Office of Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations | Washington, DC 
Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation issued by the Council of the Inspectors General 

on Integrity and Efficiency. 

Results of Review 

We found that the FWS implemented our recommendation. 

Recommendation 1: Resolve the total unsupported costs of $2,009,036. 

Action Taken: The FWS sent three demand letters to Coastal Environmental Group, who 

returned a series of documents used to reduce the total unsupported costs from $2,009,036 to 

$187,961. The FWS completed the action by developing a payment plan for the costs and by 

establishing a receivable in the Department’s accounting system. 

We reconciled the total unsupported costs to the FWS demand letters and supporting 

documentation. In addition, we verified that Coastal Environmental Group is currently on a 

payment plan of $5,300 a month to pay off the balance of the bill for collection of $187,961. 

Conclusion 

We informed FWS officials of the results of this review on August 21, 2020. 

If you have any questions about this verification review, please contact me at 202-208-

5745. 

cc: Andrea Brandon, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget 

Chadrick Minnifield, Division Chief, Internal Control and Audit Follow-Up, Office of 

Financial Management 

Alexis Vann, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Liaison 

Kathleen Garrity, Audit Liaison Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

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