The Government Accountability Office has called on the Office of Management and Budget and the Treasury Department to require complete documentation of controls and processes from agencies as they implement the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act.
GAO said Friday it found that OMB and Treasury failed to design and implement controls or fully documented processes for the review of the agencies’ implementation plans for the DATA Act and that the OMB did not identify the total number of agencies that must submit implementation plans to OMB.
GAO noted that in mid-June, the OMB asked only agency chief financial officers to submit the implementation plans by August 12.
“Lacking fully documented controls and processes as well as a complete population of agencies that are required to report under the DATA Act increases the risk that the purposes and benefits of the DATA Act may not be fully achieved, and could result in incomplete spending data being reported,†the government watchdog said.
GAO also found that none of the 42 implementation plans it examined include the 51 plan elements indicated in the OMB and Treasury guidance.
GAO recommended that OMB and Treasury request updated plans from non-CFO Act agencies and the two agencies agreed to the recommendations.
