EPA’s watchdog warns of procurement collusion risks as agency prepares for $100 billion in funding.

EPA’s internal watchdog, the Office of Inspector General, has warned of ‘procurement collusion’ within the agency, stating that the agency’s acquisitions office lacks strong controls over its vendors and doesn’t store or organize its procurement data for easy oversight and management. The warning comes as EPA is set to receive over $100 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act combined. Adam Seefeldt, acting assistant inspector general for strategic analysis and results, said the agency lacks internal controls for its contract solicitations, which could prevent fraud such as bid rigging and price fixing. The agency has awarded over 3,500 contracts worth over $2 billion since 2017.