The IG recommended holding senior GSA officials responsible for excessive e spending at conferences and in addition to tendering her own resignation Johnson indicated a wide ranging management shake up.
“The agency has internal controls and extensive guidance in place that addresses excessive spending and what constitutes serious misconduct,” Johnson wrote, acknowledging that the controls and guidance went unheeded.
“I have taken proactive steps to implement tighter internal controls over conferences, finances, and procurements in order to eliminate waste and improper or unnecessary expenditures,” she said. She also said disciplinary actions are being taken.
Johnson said she has directed the GSA Region 9 administrator to perform a thorough review of the conduct of the regional commissioner for the Public Buildings Service – currently on administrative leave – in Region 9 with respect to the 2010 WRC. She added that any warranted disciplinary action would follow.
Johnson said she decided to take disciplinary action against several senior management officials ranging from disciplinary actions, up to and including suspensions or removals, and that she has directed other senior management officials to vigorously review matters raised in the report and determine if additional policy and organizational changes are necessary — and if additional disciplinary actions are warranted against other senior officials and employees.
She also directed the PBS to cancel all future Western Regions Conferences, reduce the PBS travel budgets for fiscal 2013 in regions 7, 8, 9 and 10, shift reporting and oversight of all regional PBS budgets to the central office, and direct the GSA financial officer and senior procurement executive to review contracts and expenses for all conferences even, including those in the planning phase.
In addition, House hearings into the scandal are planned for the upcoming weeks.
