Report I2009-0640 Recommendation 8 Responses
Report I2009-0640: California Department of Transportation: Caltrans Employees Engaged in Inexcusable Neglect of Duty, Received Overpayment for Overtime, Falsified Test Data, and Misappropriated State Property (Release Date: March 2013)
Case Number I2009-0640
Recommendation #8 To: Transportation, Department of
To address the lack of controls that allowed the falsification of gamma gamma logging testing data by Technician A and the engineer, we recommend that Caltrans implement any recommendations made by the GAMDAT team intended to strengthen the integrity of the gamma gamma logging testing performed by the Foundation Testing Branch. (See I2009-0640, p. 24)
Agency Response From April 2014
Caltrans reported that in March 2014 it fully implemented the final recommendation of the GAMDAT team that remained outstanding.
To evaluate and implement the recommendations of the GAMDAT team, Caltrans assembled a team of subject matter experts, which included a member of the GAMDAT team. This team of subject matter experts concluded that Caltrans adequately has addressed all of the GAMDAT team's recommendations. The GAMDAT team made a total of 15 recommendations, and Caltrans implemented 13 of them. Regarding the remaining two recommendations, the subject matter experts determined that before Caltrans received these recommendations, Caltrans already had taken actions that were sufficient to address the concerns that gave rise to the recommendations. As a result, the subject matter experts determined that no further action was necessary by Caltrans to address these recommendations.
As the GAMDAT team did not establish a process for evaluating Caltrans' efforts to implements its very technical recommendations, we must defer to the determinations of the subject matter experts.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Resolved
Agency Response From January 2014
Caltrans is continuing to work on implementing the outstanding recommendation discussed in the November 2013 update. It is expecting to implement the recommendation fully by April 2014.
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Partially Implemented
Agency Response From November 2013
The GAMDAT team made multiple recommendations intended to strengthen the integrity of the gamma gamma logging testing performed by the Foundation Testing Branch. These recommendations were aimed at minimizing gamma gamma logging data file irregularities, minimizing potential operational irregularities, and improving other gamma gamma logging processes. As of November 2013, Caltrans had implemented or resolved all but one of the GAMDAT recommendations and intends to fully implement the remaining recommendation in January 2014.