EPA IG says IT programs require more oversight

Environmental Protection Agency IT project managers did not provide sufficient oversight of several programs, resulting in increased costs and scheduling delays, the agency’s inspector general has concluded.According to the IG’s report, EPA’s Office of Environmental Information “did not sufficiently oversee information technology projects to ensure they met planned budgets and schedules. The increased cost and schedule delays for the projects reviewed may have been averted or lessened with adequate oversight.”The IG mainly focused on two IT projects: the CFO’s Financial Replacement System PeoplePlus payroll and HR functions, and the Office of Air and Radiation’s Clean Air Markets Division Business System.PeoplePlus, the IG reported, cost $3.7 million more than initially budgeted and took one year longer to implement.Modifications to CAMDBS, meanwhile, “have al-ready increased costs about $2.8 million and extended the target completion date by two years,” the report said.The IG recommended that EPA’s CIO take responsibility for conducting independent reviews of IT projects and revise procedures to document a project’s status.EPA CIO Kimberly Nelson said she agreed with most of the report and will have a formal response along with a corrective action plan by the end of the year. An agency spokeswoman added, however, that the response does not consider all of the EPA’s oversight programs.To read the report, go to and enter 496 in the Quickfind box.