GSA Office of Inspector General Overview

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452) as an independent unit responsible for promoting economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and detecting and preventing fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the General Services Administration's (GSA) programs and operations. The OIG’s mission is to help the GSA effectively carry out its responsibilities and to protect the public interest by bringing about positive change in the performance, accountability, and integrity of GSA programs and operations. This is accomplished primarily by performing: independent financial, program, information technology, contract and compliance audits; criminal and civil investigations; reviews of proposed legislation and regulations; and by providing other services to senior GSA, Congressional, and law enforcement officials.

The OIG provides nationwide coverage of GSA programs and activities. The OIG consists of the following offices:

• The Office of Administration, an in-house staff that provides information systems, budgetary, administrative, and personnel services.
• The Office of Audits, an evaluative unit staffed with auditors and analysts who provide comprehensive coverage of GSA operations through program performance reviews, internal control assessments, and financial and mandated compliance audits. It also conducts external reviews in support of GSA contracting officials to ensure fair contract prices and adherence to contract terms and conditions.
• The Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, an in-house legal staff that offers legal counsel to all OIG components; provides litigation support in cases affecting OIG operations and in false claims cases involving GSA contracts; manages the OIG's legislative and regulatory review functions; and coordinates the OIG FOIA program.
• The Office of Forensic Auditing, Evaluation, and Analysis, a unit that conducts operational assessments of the OIG's central and field offices and other operating components, conducts internal OIG investigations, directs the OIG's Federal Managers' Financial Integrity Act program, and undertakes special projects as required by the Inspector General.  It also houses the Office of Forensic Auditing, an independent, multi-disciplinary team focused on the use of innovative strategies to detect potentially fraudulent activities, assess situations when fraud has been committed, and produce evidence meeting the standards required by criminal courts.
• The OIG Office of Investigations, an investigative unit that manages a nationwide program to prevent and detect illegal and/or improper activities involving GSA programs, operations, and personnel.

The OIG is in headquartered in Washington, D.C., at the GSA Central Office Building. Regional offices are located in Atlanta, GA; Auburn, WA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fort Worth, TX; Kansas City, MO; Laguna Niguel, CA; New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA, and the Washington, D.C. area.