Letter  OIG Bulletin, June 2021: Letter from Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha

Date:	06/09/2021
Organization:	Office of the Inspector General
Referenced Sources:	The OIG is pleased to announce the publication of the June 2021, OIG Bulletin, Vol. 2, #2.

Our Ongoing Work to Hold Government Accountable

Greetings,

Thank you for reading the second OIG Bulletin of 2021. It is a hopeful time — COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, the state is easing public health restrictions and students are returning to their classrooms. As the Commonwealth re-opens its economy, I want to remind public employees that our Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) program is here to help.

The MCPPO program offers courses that teach public employees and contractors who work on public projects about following Massachusetts public procurement laws and protecting their jurisdictions from fraud, waste and abuse. Last year, the MCPPO program worked quickly to move its classes online, create COVID-19-focused content and expand its ability to provide targeted technical assistance to municipalities in the wake of the public health crisis. As a result, our staff was able to train over 5,000 students – more than any year since the creation of the MCPPO program in 1997. Because of this excellent work, the Regulatory and Compliance Division, which administers the MCPPO program, received the OIG’s John William Ward Performance Recognition Award for 2020. I encourage you to take a look at our MCPPO class offerings and resources.

In addition to this important educational work that fulfills our prevention mandate, the OIG has continued to investigate allegations of fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds and to recover those funds whenever possible. Since our last issue, the OIG, in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) and with assistance from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), reached an agreement with a bridge contractor, who agreed to pay $700,000 to the Commonwealth to resolve allegations that it overbilled MassDOT. The OIG and AGO also secured consent judgments with two former Massachusetts State Police troopers, who returned $110,000 to the Commonwealth for alleged unworked overtime. Please see Recent OIG Investigations in this issue for more information about these and other recent investigations.

These are just a few examples demonstrating how the OIG, while handling new challenges presented by the public health crisis, continues to work hard for the people of the Commonwealth. For more information about the OIG’s recent work, I encourage you to read our 2020 Annual Report, where we describe other OIG investigations and recoveries; the OIG’s COVID-19 response; and the OIG’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our workplace. For a summary of this report, see Highlights from the 2020 Annual Report in this issue.

This issue includes contributions from the OIG’s Audit, Oversight and Investigations Division, the Policy and Government Division, the Regulatory and Compliance Division and the Division of State Police Oversight. It also includes information about some upcoming changes to the MCPPO program and answers to frequently asked questions about Chapter 30B. In our next issue this fall, we look forward to presenting a special edition of the OIG Bulletin commemorating the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General — the first state-level OIG in the nation. Please stay tuned!

Thank you again for your ongoing commitment to integrity in government. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need assistance.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Glenn Cunha