It’s not uncommon for the OIG to be asked to testify before a congressional committee, usually to provide an informed view of postal-related matters or to discuss one of our reports that speaks to an issue of lawmakers’ interest. And sometimes it’s both.

Recently the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing entitled “It’s Electric: Developing the Postal Service Fleet of the Future,” which focused on the Postal Service's planned acquisition of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) to replace its aging delivery fleet. Inspector General Tammy L. Whitcomb was one of five witnesses asked to appear before the committee.

IG Whitcomb’s statement mainly focused on two recently released OIG reports. First, she talked about our white paper that identified and reviewed the opportunities and challenges of adding electric vehicles into the USPS delivery fleet. The second was a recent audit that assessed the clauses within the contract with the NGDV manufacturer and found a few ways they could have been stronger to mitigate against potential fraud, waste, and abuse.

IG Whitcomb also noted that we have initiated an audit focusing on the Postal Service’s vehicle acquisition process and its compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. We’ll also examine the reliability and reasonableness of the Postal Service’s Environmental Impact Statement and its supporting analysis.