The CFPB’s headquarters renovations is now the subject of two ongoing projects of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), according to the OIG’s updated work plan as of July 25, 2014.

As the OIG indicates in the work plan, it issued a letter in June 2014 reporting the results of its evaluation of the CFPB’s renovation budget.  In the letter, the OIG indicated that it had found flaws in the CFPB’s approval process for funding the renovations.  According to the updated work plan, as a follow up to that evaluation, the OIG is looking at the reasonableness of the overall estimated and proposed costs for the renovation. It is also looking further at the effectiveness of the CFPB’s processes and controls for approving, managing, and documenting headquarter renovation costs and project decisions.  The OIG plans to complete this project in the first quarter of 2015.

Also slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2015 is an OIG audit of the CFPB’s space-planning activities.  The OIG will determine whether the CFPB has established adequate controls to properly manage its space needs and is complying with applicable requirements.

Another ongoing OIG project included in the work plan is an audit of the CFPB’s diversity and inclusion processes.  The OIG is conducting that audit in response to a congressional request triggered by the allegations of employee discrimination by the CFPB.  Director Cordray recently testified at the House Financial Services Committee’s fourth hearing on the allegations.  According to the work plan, the OIG continues to anticipate completing the audit in the fourth quarter of 2014.