GAO questions reliability of Park Service travel management system

Over the past four fiscal years, the National Park Service spent more than $39 million each year on travel expenses for its employees, but failed to adequately maintain records as required by federal travel law, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office.

More than 25 percent of the Interior Department's budget is allocated to the Park Service each year, but when legislators tried to get information about how much of the agency's budget was spent on travel to conferences and foreign countries, the agency was unable to provide details, according to GAO. Lawmakers then asked the watchdog agency to assess the situation, and GAO reviewed Park Service travel records for fiscal years 1999 through 2002.

In "National Park Service: Actions Needed to Improve Travel Cost Management" (03-354), GAO found that the Park Service did not adequately maintain records of foreign travel or of travel related to conferences in the manner required under the Federal Travel Regulation, which sets government travel policy.

"Park Service officials told us that its current travel accounting system is limited in the amount of travel-related information it can preserve when processing certain valid payment methods, including third-party drafts," the report said. "While travel type and purpose information may or may not be captured and retained at all park offices, accounting operations center officials told us that they do not receive this travel information from the local offices or regions in enough detail to satisfy the Federal Travel Regulation requirement."

GAO concluded that inadequacies in the Park Service travel management system and a "lack of adherence to policies and procedures contributed to the unavailability of reliable, detailed travel data consistent with Federal Travel Regulation requirements."

"Without reliable detailed historical travel information, such as foreign versus domestic travel cost, or travel costs by various purposes, the Park Service is limited in its ability to manage travel and transportation costs and the Congress has limited information available to determine whether funds appropriated for official travel are being used effectively," the report said.

However, GAO did find that Park Service officials were implementing a new travel management system scheduled for completion in September 2003.

The watchdog agency recommended that Interior Secretary Gale Norton set up procedures so that travel information is maintained as required under the Federal Travel Regulation, and to ensure that the new travel management system complies with all federal travel laws.

In a written response, Craig Manson, Interior's assistant secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, challenged much of the findings detailed in GAO's report.

"Even though the [Park Service's] accounting and payment system was unable to generate the requested totals to support foreign travel, the service was able to provide supporting documentation related to foreign travel," Manson wrote, adding that the report did not note that the Park Service does maintain records on conferences related to foreign travel.

But, according to Manson, Park Service officials did agree with the suggested recommendations and have already modified how foreign travel information is compiled.