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Audit

Audit  Audit of the Department of Conservation and Recreation

The audit found DCR did not have adequate processes or procedures to ensure that its contractors met its workforce participation goal for women and minorities. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: November 3, 2022

Executive Summary

In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.

In this performance audit, we determined whether DCR had internal tracking, oversight, and enforcement procedures to ensure that contractors complied with its workforce participation goal1 in accordance with Section 44A(1)(G) of the General Laws and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance administrative bulletin “Equal Opportunity and Non-discrimination on State and State-Assisted Construction Contracts.” We also determined whether DCR had ensured that all its construction contractors met its business ownership goal for women and minorities2 in accordance with Part 1 of its “Instructions to Bidders” for construction projects.

Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.

Finding 1
 

DCR did not have adequate processes or procedures to ensure that its contractors met its workforce participation goal for women and minorities.

Recommendation
 

DCR should develop policies and procedures to effectively monitor and collect the data necessary to ensure that the contractors achieve the workforce participation goal.

Finding 2
 

DCR did not ensure that all contractors submitted Certificates of Payment so it could monitor contractor compliance with its business ownership goal.

Recommendation
 

DCR should develop policies and procedures to effectively monitor the extent to which each construction contractor achieves the business ownership goal for women and minorities. These policies and procedures should include the enforcement provisions, stated in the contract, that DCR will use against contractors that do not meet the goal.

Finding 3
 

DCR did not ensure that all employees completed required annual cybersecurity awareness training during the audit period.

Recommendations
 
  1. DCR should stay informed about all requirements of the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security’s Information Security Risk Management Standard IS.010.
  2. DCR should document and implement policies and procedures that require all employees to complete initial and annual cybersecurity awareness training. The policies and procedures should include internal controls to monitor and document completion of the training.

 

A PDF copy of the Audit of the Department of Conservation and Recreation is available here.

1.    Workforce participation goals are the percentages of work hours for each construction contract that must be worked by minorities and women.

2.    A business ownership goal is the percentage of dollars spent cumulatively on DCR contracts with minority-owned business enterprises (MBEs) and woman-owned business enterprise (WBEs) out of the dollars spent on contracts with non-MBE and non-WBE enterprises.

Table of Contents

Downloads

Open PDF file, 750.81 KB,  Audit of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (English, PDF 750.81 KB)

Contact

Phone

Main (617) 727-2075

Online

Auditor@MassAuditor.gov

Fax

(617) 727-3014

Address

Massachusetts State House
Room 230
Boston, MA 02133
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