What do I do with this?

Anonymous

July 22,2022 at 12:54PM UTC

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What do I do with this?

I am a program manager with federal grant responsibility. I was just in a meeting where a higher manager different department claimed they’d never spent money on a line item as a pretext for moving money into another line. A professional peer on loan to that department later told me the original “line item” was definitely bought and parts were laying all over the area. I am WFH but my peer is onsite.

Do I let sleeping dogs lie? It appears the department manager was not entirely honest, but apparently is covering the purchase elsewhere. Now that I know, do I have any duty to report this observation by the “on loan professional” to the finance folks who care about this project?

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AnonymousJuly 22,2022 at 2:08PM UTC
Yes, your responsibility is to ensure everyone is aware of this.
AnonymousJuly 22,2022 at 2:53PM UTC
At the moment, what you have is hearsay. Your peer might be incorrect.
However, I think you have a responsibility to alert someone. Is there an anonymous way or a trusted colleague in the finance group that you can ask to check into the parts "laying all over the area"?
I've worked on some projects where sample materials for an RFP were sent at no cost.
You say you have federal grant responsibility, so I think you need to pass on the concern (and document even in private notes when and how you did so).
AnonymousJuly 22,2022 at 3:41PM UTC
My read based on what you've shared is that this is a potential allegation of mischarging that may be a violation of USG procurement standards. Absolutely you need to forward this comment to your Ethics folks for further investigation.
AnonymousJuly 22,2022 at 6:41PM UTC
It seems as though part of your PM responsibilities include tracking that kind of information for accuracy and legitimacy. If so and if it traces back to you where an audit could potentially be done and someone could inquire as to why you overlooked this, I would have a documented meeting about it along with a documented outcome on what was decided on what to do about it to cover your tracks.
AnonymousJuly 22,2022 at 11:20PM UTC
Thank you all, New to this position so I sure needed a fairy godboss today with my direct supervisor out of pocket!
After the first reply, I went to my contact and shied away from the email they first requested and got an informal phone call with the right folks I know I can trust. They heard me, suspected as much (there’s a history here) and will handle it from here. Thank you, thank you, thank you — one for each of you!
JenniferJuly 23,2022 at 6:06AM UTC
I'm so glad to hear it worked out! And thank you for updating us. Obviously we're never "owed" an update, but I definitely get invested and genuinely care how things turn out. It's part of what makes this a community.
I didn't even comment on the post, but it makes me happy to hear that people's advice helped.
AnonymousJuly 24,2022 at 5:57PM UTC
If you ignore it, you are potentially complicit in fraud.
I would suggest that you report to your manager that you’ve received an anonymous report and suggest that it be investigated by on-site personnel or the Inspector General of your agency.
AnonymousJuly 26,2022 at 1:36AM UTC
Thanks.
Already done.