Fleet Management Follow-Up

The Department of Transportation & Infrastructure fully implemented seven recommendations made in the original audit report. However, the department only partially implemented four others and it has not taken steps to address the risks two other recommendations had sought to resolve.

Transportation & Infrastructure received authority from the Mayor’s Office allowing the department to make informed decisions on how best to use the city’s fleet. The department also implemented recommendations designed to hold staff accountable and provide guidance on outsourcing maintenance jobs.

Remaining Risks

The recommendations the department did not fully implement present several lingering risks. Among them:

• The city still risks former employees accessing the city’s fuel because Fleet Management did not remove former city employees from the authorized driver list.
• Fleet Management may fail to detect and correct unusual fuel activity without standardized procedures for reviewing fuel usage.
• Vehicle parts remain vulnerable to theft and other risks without a full physical security assessment.
• The city ordinance does not reflect the city’s current fleet funding model.
• The city risks wasting resources and makes it harder to guarantee the public will get future essential services it relies on. The absence of a formal plan makes it difficult for the city to determine whether it has appropriate staffing to keep the fleet running reliably.

Auditor's Letter

May 7, 2026

In keeping with generally accepted government auditing standards and Auditor’s Office policy, as authorized by city ordinance, we have a responsibility to monitor and follow up on audit recommendations to ensure city agencies address audit findings through appropriate corrective action and to aid us in planning future audits.

In October 2024, we audited Fleet Management and found risks involving funding structure, performance targets, and policies and procedures. The Department of Transportation & Infrastructure agreed to implement all 13 of our recommendations.

We recently followed up and found the department fully implemented most recommendations.

Although the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure has made significant progress, it did not fully address some risks associated with our original findings about safeguarding fleet assets. Consequently, we may revisit these risk areas in future audits to ensure the city takes appropriate corrective action.

We did not update the status of the one recommendation the department did not agree to implement, as we presume it took no action toward implementing that. We include the recommendation in this report as a reference.

We appreciate the leaders and team members at the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure who shared their time and knowledge with us throughout the audit and the follow-up process. Please contact me at 720-913-5000 with any questions.

Denver Auditor's Office


Timothy O'Brien, CPA

AUDITOR TIMOTHY O'BRIEN, CPA
Denver Auditor

Denver Auditor's Office

201 W. Colfax Ave. #705 Denver, CO 80202
Email: auditor@denvergov.org
Call: 720-913-5000
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