Top House Democrats on Wednesday suggested that the Department of Energy’s watchdog may have awarded a contract without sufficient competition or justification.
In a Wednesday letter to Inspector General Teri Donaldson, Democratic leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee asked why the office found it necessary to award a June contract to a firm that is providing legal support for an ongoing review of DOE’s Loan Program Office.
The Democrats, led by committee ranking member Frank Pallone of New Jersey, suggested the contract award to the Robert Rabalais Team was not only overzealous, but also was doled out without competition from other law firms or a justification for why the taxpayer money needed to be spent.
“While oversight can help deter bad actors, no OIG reports have identified any waste, fraud, or abuse at LPO,” the lawmakers wrote.
