The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority which operates Washington DC’s two major airports lacks effective contract management and oversight, as well as adequate procurement integrity policies needed to ensure impartiality when awarding and administering contracts, the Depart of Transportation inspector general has said.
It said MWAA, which is also responsible for designing, constructing, and partially financing a rail project to Washington Dulles International, has begun taking actions to improve its accountability, transparency, and governance, such as approving new travel and ethics policies for employees and its Board of Directors, but further actions are necessary to fully address management weaknesses.
For example, contracting policies and practices are insufficient to ensure compliance with the Airports Act and the lease agreement between DoT and MWAA, the audit concluded.
Further, MWAA’s code of ethics for its employees and its related policies and procedures have lacked the rigor needed to ensure credibility and the integrity of management and employee decisions, the IG said, noting it discovered that employees had accepted inappropriate, high-dollar gifts from an MWAA contractor such as Super Bowl tickets.
The IG also faulted the agency’s HR practices for a lack of oversight and accountability, resulting in employees being hired and compensated without job descriptions, competition, pay setting reviews, or completed background checks.
