All Reports

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a contractor for construction and modification services. Our examination objective was to determine if the contractor's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned $100 million contract.

The OIG performed procedures which were requested and agreed to by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) management solely to assist management in determining the validity of the Winning Performance (WP) payout awards for the fiscal year (FY) ended September 30, 2015. TVA management is responsible for the WP payout award data. In summary, we found the FY 2015 WP goals for the enterprise-wide and Strategic Business Unit (SBU) measures were properly approved.

Corporate Accounting provides financial services to TVA in the areas of (1) Accounting Reporting and Research, which includes Accounting Policy and Research, External Reporting, and Fuel Accounting; (2) Disbursement Services, which includes Payment Services and Payroll Operations; (3) Revenue; and (4) Sarbanes-Oxley. As of March 24, 2015, Corporate Accounting had 72 employees. This review assesses operational and cultural strengths and opportunities for improvement within TVA's Corporate Accounting.

Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) is one of the fossil plants relied upon to assist TVA in meeting its mission. CUF's mission, in support of the overarching TVA mission, is "to provide low cost, reliable generation and ancillary services while keeping our people safe and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations." This review identified operational and cultural strengths and opportunities for improvement at TVA's CUF.

As part of our annual audit plan, the OIG audited costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by VECTOR. VECTOR is a joint venture between Bechtel Power Corporation and Sargent & Lundy, L.L.C. (S&L) that provided engineering services for Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Unit 1. Our objective was to determine if the $26.8 million in S&L costs paid by TVA from October 1, 2010, through December 31, 2012, were in accordance with the contract terms and conditions. In summary, we determined VECTOR overbilled TVA $322,535 for S&L's services.

In August 2008, numerous newspaper articles questioned the fairness of a TVA Maintain and Gain transaction granting water access to The Cove at Blackberry Ridge LLC (Blackberry). The articles raised questions about whether the Blackberry's primary investor, a Congressman, used his position to influence TVA's decision to grant Blackberry's request for water access. Because doubt was cast on the fairness of a TVA process, the OIG conducted an inspection and found no evidence of pressure on TVA from the Congressman to give Blackberry water access on this lakefront project.

The TVA developed an integrated resource plan (IRP) to guide the organization in meeting future energy demand. Due to the importance of the TVA's IRP as a directional document for TVA's future, the OIG evaluated the adequacy of TVA's development process for the 2015 IRP, including demand-side and supply-side strategies. We determined TVA's process for developing the 2015 IRP was adequate in considering potential future uncertainties and associated responses.

The OIG audited TVA's Contractor Workforce Management (CWM) process for acquiring craft and noncraft staff augmentation contractors to determine whether the process was operating as intended and risks were being adequately mitigated. The purpose of the process was to "maintain the highest performing contractor workforce at the lowest total cost of ownership."We determined there was no assurance the process was operating as intended, and some risks were not being adequately mitigated.

In October 2014, the OIG completed an audit of the TVA executive retention. As a follow-up to that audit, we initiated an audit of TVA's executive incentives. Our objectives were to determine (1) if executive incentives align with TVA's objectives and goals, and(2) whether processes for establishing executive incentive performance measures are followed.

The OIG performed this audit to determine TVA Information Technology Enterprise Customer Operations' (ECO): (1) current effectiveness, (2) actions completed in the implementation of management action plans and Information Technology (IT) 1K initiatives in relation to achieving outcomes, and (3) design of the management action plans in response to Audit No. 2010-13366 and IT1K program for gaps related to any outcomes not met.