January 2010: Quarterly Report To CongressThis 24th Quarterly Report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstructionanalyzes the latest events in Iraq as the U.S. relief and reconstruction effort continues to transform itself into a more traditional foreign assistance mission. The most notable event from the past quarter was the December round of bidding for new oil service contracts. Iraq's Ministry of Oil accepted bids on seven oil fields, including one from a Russo-Norwegian consortium for the largest field. But, to succeed, the winning bidders must overcome Iraq's aging infrastructure, rampant corruption, and fragile security. This quarter, SIGIR published what was certainly one of its most significant audits to date: the follow-up review of the Department of State's oversight of DynCorp International's police–training contract. This audit identified more than $2.5 billion in taxpayer funds that are vulnerable to waste and fraud because of weak contract oversight. SIGIR's finding is particularly salient given that management of the police training program will be transitioned to the Department of State in 2011. Please address inquiries regarding this report to SIGIR Public Affairs by e-mail or by phone 703-428-1100. This report is also broken out by Figures, Pictures, and Tables. |
