The BART Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released a new report detailing the results of an investigation that led to the recovery of $1.7 million through settlements with contractors.

In December 2023, the OIG issued a limited report after investigating an anonymous whistleblower complaint alleging that BART was improperly billed for labor, hours, and equipment on a major capital project. The OIG determined that contractors submitted $1.7 million in invoices for work that may not have been properly supported or verified in accordance with established procedures.

The OIG committed to releasing a full report on its investigative findings once the District reached settlement with the contractors. In June 2025, BART reached combined settlements totaling $1.7 million, recovering the amount identified through the investigation.

The investigation focused on the use of Force Account and Daily Work Delay tags; records used to bill change-order work on a time-and-materials basis. While a construction firm submitted the tags, a construction management firm was responsible for verifying their accuracy. Their inspectors were required to observe the work, sign and date the tags, and submit them within a defined timeframe. The OIG found that these requirements were not consistently met.

Management addressed all three OIG recommendations by obtaining settlement, avoiding civil litigation, and adopting a suspension and debarment policy to strengthen oversight going forward.

We encourage you to review the summary video and full report for additional details.

$1.7M Recovered: A Forensic Look at Force Account Tagging 

Thank you for your continued interest in our work. For access to all BART Office of the Inspector General reports, please visit www.bart.gov/oig.

Sincerely,

Claudette Biemeret
Inspector General
Email: InspectorGeneral@bart.gov
Phone: 510-464-6141