An ASG vehicle was left at several auto shops for eight years and eventually scrapped without authorization. Salvageable parts were reportedly sold by an auto shop.
This is one of the findings of an audit by the Territorial Audit Office of ASG’s fleet of light duty vehicles. The audit report was released in April.
TAO audited the six departments that had the most light-duty vehicles in ASG’s fleet: Department of Education, the Governor’s Office and offices under the Governor’s Office, Department of Health, Department of Public Works, Department of Port Administration, and the Office of Samoan Affairs.
TAO conducted the audit in coordination with the Office of Property Management to assess whether ASG has implemented and followed internal controls to ensure adequate accountability for government-owned vehicles.
The audit was conducted after TAO found problems with the Department of Public Safety’s internal controls for managing its fleet. These problems are highlighted in the performance audit report of the Department of Public Safety issued in August 2024.
In addition to the ASG vehicle mentioned above which was left at several garages for eight years then scraped, the audit found several other discrepancies:
- 113 ASG vehicles were not registered
- 5 vehicles in Property Management’s Master Inventory Control Record could not be located
- 17 Department of Public Works vehicles were damaged beyond repair but still stored at their offices
- ASG staff removed parts from vehicles without informing Property Management
- 3 vehicles were surveyed but were still being used by the departments
- 3 vehicles had duplicate license plates
- ASG departments leased and rented vehicles without notifying Property Management
- The Department of Health had 12 leased or rented vehicles and only 2 vehicles had current contracts •
- Public Works rented four vehicles without notifying Property Management and at a cost of nearly $56,000 •
- Three Public Works vehicles had license plates that did not agree with Property Management’s records because Public Works changed the license plates
- ASG vehicles had tinted windows in violation of the law
- The Port Administration accepted a different vehicle from a contractor without a written change order • •
TAO said Property Management lacks a comprehensive policies and procedures manual, is not conducting regular inventories, and is not coordinating with departments to ensure all vehicles are accounted for.
Also, departments have not developed policies and procedures to manage their fleet.
Furthermore, departments have not assigned responsible staff for managing their fleet and are not surveying vehicles that are no longer operational.
According to the audit report the value of the light-duty vehicles in their sample was approximately $13.5 million, which accounted for around 51 percent of ASG’s light-duty fleet. TAO estimated the total value of all ASG’s light-duty vehicles is likely between $25 million and $30 million.
Among the top 3 of 17 recommendations by the Territorial Audit Office was for Property Management to develop a comprehensive policies and procedures manual that addresses all aspects of managing ASG’s fleet, investigate the feasibility of obtaining an electronic tracking system for ASG vehicles and develop a comprehensive policy and procedure son the leasing and rental of vehicles for government use.
