Recommendation Dashboard

Food for Peace and USAID/Haiti establish and implement a plan for the design, tracking, correlation, and analysis of maternal and child health and nutrition and livelihood integration for the fiscal year 2013 multiyear assistance program.

Food for Peace and USAID/Haiti establish and implement a plan for the design, tracking, correlation with impact, and analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of mothers' clubs for the fiscal year 2013 multiyear assistance program.

Food for Peace develop and implement a plan to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the various mothers' club models being implemented by Title II cooperating sponsors.

Food for Peace and USAID/Haiti develop a cost estimate for implementing the first 1,000 days approach for the next multiyear assistance program to make sure potential cooperating sponsors incorporate sufficient resources in their budgets that demonstrate the capacity to fully implement the approach.

USAID/Haiti include validation of implementation of the first 1,000 days approach in the monitoring plan for the next multiyear assistance program.

Food for Peace and USAID/Haiti obtain expert food security technical assistance in the development of the fiscal year 2013 multiyear assistance program indicator performance tracking tables to (1) determine the most important indicators to track, (2) minimize inclusion of less significant indicators, (3) provide consistent terminology for similar indicators used by cooperating sponsors, and (4) fully incorporate information beneficial for research on food security assistance in the program indicators.

USAID/Haiti examine ongoing and proposed activities in Mirebalais to avoid duplication of effort.

Food for Peace Washington strengthen its policies and procedures to make sure International Food Relief Partnership grantees' programs are not duplicating Title II programs.

Food for Peace develop a plan to create a central repository for data management tools developed by Title II partners.

Food for Peace and USAID/Haiti retain the ACDI/VOCA tool for potential inclusion in the repository for data management tools.

USAID/Sri Lanka implement a strategy to complete the development of an electronic database representing the final stage of a new monitoring and evaluation system for Sarvodaya, an activity initiated under the Supporting Regional Governance Program. At a minimum, the strategy should specify the (1) estimated cost of the remaining work, (2) scope of work to be performed, (3) steps the mission plans to take to minimize communication issues between Sarvodaya
and the contractor hired to develop the database, (4) the period of work, and (5) plans to provide technical support to Sarvodaya in implementing its new monitoring and evaluation system.

USAID/Sri Lanka's mission director meet with appropriate Sri Lankan Government officials to request that the local authorities in Sri Lanka's Batticaloa District be permitted to maintain their financial ledger accounts using the financial management software provided under the Supporting Regional Governance Program and be authorized to discontinue maintaining these accounts manually to benefit from the use of the software.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to implement performance indicators that measure results of activities related to each of the partnership's four objectives.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to assess the tangible achievements toward each of the partnership's four objectives and document the results.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia share the documented results of this assessment with key government stakeholders in the six governments in the Coral Triangle to help gain their support.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to implement improved policies and procedures to validate reported accomplishments.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to clarify in writing indicator measurements and definitions.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia implement procedures to require data quality assessments to (1) evaluate an implementing partner's data collection, maintenance, and processing procedures and (2) determine the accuracy and consistency of the data through substantive testing.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to expand the data collected for reported accomplishments. This could be done through a standard template with fields for the specific location of activities, the number of participants by type, and what objective could be achieved through each event. This information should be used to modify the database so the implementer can keep better track of progress for future work.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to include only intended beneficiaries in formal reporting to USAID. Other training participants, such as consortium members and students, should be tracked separately.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia to require the Coral Triangle Support Partnership to issue written guidelines on how to integrate alternative livelihoods into activities involving marine protected areas, fisheries, and climate change adaptation. These guidelines would be available as a part of the Coral Triangle Initiative tool kit for related efforts in the future.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia formally require that the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer incorporate and document the discussion of developing alternative livelihoods into future workshops hosted by the partnership.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to clarify and document the partnership's public-private partnership objective and the roles and responsibilities of partners in achieving it.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia issue written guidance to the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer on how to inform beneficiaries of USAID's sponsorship of the partnership.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia implement a plan for monitoring-and documenting the monitoring-the execution of the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's branding strategy and marking plan by the partnership's prime implementer.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with the Coral Triangle Support Partnership's prime implementer to use local languages for branding in activity sites to increase recognition within communities.

USAID/Afghanistan modify the cooperative agreement to reflect changes in the program to date.

USAID/Afghanistan assess and realign the program budget, as necessary.

USAID/Afghanistan remind its staff in writing of the importance of documenting significant meetings, discussions, and decisions that affect USAID programs.

USAID/Afghanistan's Office of Agriculture develop and implement a risk-based monitoring plan for the program that includes periodic site visits.

USAID/Afghanistan remind its staff in writing of (1) the importance of site visits, (2) the purpose of site visits, the areas that must be assessed and the tasks that must be completed during site visits, and (3) the documentation requirements for site visits.

USAID/Afghanistan identify and issue designation letters to onsite monitors for the program and formalize the mechanisms for coordination and communication among the agreement officer, the agreement officer's technical representative, and the onsite monitors.

USAID/Afghanistan provide its Office of Agriculture staff with training on how to analyze progress reports submitted by its implementing partners.

USAID/Afghanistan require its implementing partner to develop and implement a formal monitoring system that includes the development and execution of annual monitoring plans covering the programmatic and financial aspects of the program; reporting and analysis against those plans; the inclusion of subimplementers in those monitoring plans, reporting, and analysis; and the verification of reported results, including supporting documentation.

USAID/Afghanistan provide its implementing partners with training covering (1) the definitions of, the collection of, and the reporting on performance indicators for the program and (2) the requirement for and the maintenance of evidence, including documentation supporting reported results.

USAID/Afghanistan establish procedures to verify on a periodic basis the accuracy of the reporting of its implementing partners, including the verification of reported results with supporting documents at the lowest operational level.

USAID/Afghanistan assess whether it still requires biweekly reporting for this program.

USAID/Afghanistan require its implementing partner to (1) develop a detailed written strategy for building sustainability into its activities and projects, (2) develop indicators of sustainability for its activities and projects as well as for the program's overall objectives, (3) develop targets for its sustainability indicators, (4) include in its annual work plan both a narrative addressing sustainability during the work plan period and annual targets for its sustainability indicators, and (5) report in its quarterly and annual reports on its progress in the area of sustainability and against its sustainability indicators and targets.

USAID/Afghanistan require clear value chain implementation strategies for each sector covered by this program.

USAID/Afghanistan have a gender assessment performed for each component of the program and incorporate the results of those gender assessments in its program activities to increase the participation of women.

USAID/Afghanistan require that its implementing partners provide training to their program personnel on how to integrate gender issues into activities, the constraints women confront to participation in the economy, and ways to overcome those constraints.

USAID/Afghanistan require program implementing partners to develop and implement a written plan to strengthen ongoing partnership and cooperation with the Department of Women's Affairs and other stakeholders that are key to increasing the participation of women.

USAID/Afghanistan develop mission-wide policies and procedures governing cash-for-work and community-constructed infrastructure projects. These policies and procedures should include the employment of minors, safety of workers, and responding to injuries in compliance with Afghan labor law.

USAID/Kenya coordinate with the Government of Kenya and issue an implementation letter under its development assistance grant agreement to (1) define the minimum standards acceptable for the treatment of and accounting for commodities funded by the President's Malaria Initiative and distributed through Kenyan systems, (2) confirm and record the Government of Kenya's commitment as a partner in strengthening those systems, and (3) specify the rights and responsibilities of the parties if minimum standards are not adhered to.

USAID/Kenya, in conjunction with USAID/East Africa, remind mission staff members, in writing, of their responsibility to document the removal of any official award files from their designated storage location and to return those files when no longer needed.

USAID/Kenya update its mission order on performance monitoring to give specific guidance on monitoring programs outside of one's technical program team.

USAID/Kenya remind agreement officer's representatives, in writing, of their responsibility to review and approve programs' annual work plans in accordance with the terms of each agreement.

USAID/Kenya remind agreement officer's representatives, in writing, of their responsibility to monitor recipients' performance reports in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

USAID/Kenya remind agreement officers and agreement officer's representatives, in writing, of their responsibility to monitor recipients' financial reports to ensure that each recipient makes progress toward meeting the cost-sharing requirement.

USAID/Kenya determine the allowability of $293,000 in ineligible questioned costs stemming from Population Services International's reallocation of cost savings from net distribution activities, and recover from Population Services International any amounts determined to be unallowable.

USAID/Kenya, in conjunction with USAID/Washington, obtain a cost estimate for the additional marking of artemisinin-based combination therapies and determine, in conjunction with the Division of Malaria Control and the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, whether marking these commodities would seriously deplete funding for or otherwise interfere with the effective treatment of malaria.

USAID/Kenya, if the Division of Malaria Control and the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency agree, mark artemisinin-based combination therapies to deter theft.

USAID/Kenya notify the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, in writing, of the misreported results for malaria-related commodity indicators in fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

USAID/Kenya update the Office of Population and Health's performance management plan to include the same indicators reported to the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources for the President's Malaria Initiative, and add the appropriate data sources.

USAID/Kenya determine and document its objectives for identifying goods and services provided under Kenya's President's Malaria Initiative as American aid and update its communication strategies, including current branding and marking plans, if they do not currently achieve those objectives.

USAID/Afghanistan develop, implement, and document controls to help confirm that the involuntary separate maintenance allowance applications that it approves for personal service contractors are properly authorized and
comply with Section 260 of the Department of State Standardized Regulations. Such controls may include application of USAID's "A Guide to Authorizing Separate Maintenance Allowance" and the Separate Maintenance Allowance Checklist.

USAID/Afghanistan, Office of Human Resources develop, implement, and document controls to assess the legitimacy of spouse or domestic
partner signatures on involuntary separate maintenance allowance applications.

USAID/Afghanistan the Office of Human Resources review the incidents in which employees acknowledged signing their spouse's signature on
involuntary separate maintenance allowance applications, take appropriate administrative action against those employees found to have signed their spouse's signature, and document the action taken.

USAID/Afghanistan reassess its controls
over ISMA payments and make any adjustments necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of those controls in preventing improper payments.

USAID/Afghanistan review the $3,833 in separate maintenance allowance paid for children that had
turned 21 years of age, determine whether those children were either incapable of self-support or in secondary school, and recover any amounts
improperly paid.

USAID/Afghanistan review the involuntary
separate maintenance allowance payments made in fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012; identify any payments made for children who had turned 21; determine whether those children were either incapable of self-support or in secondary school; and recover any amounts improperly paid.

USAID/Afghanistan pay the $636 balance of the separate maintenance allowance to the employee who was underpaid.

USAID/Afghanistan calculate and recover the home leave travel costs paid for dependent family members of the two US direct hire employees that already had involuntary separate maintenance
allowance authorized for those dependents.

USAID/Afghanistan develop, implement, and document controls to help prevent the authorization of Foreign Service benefits that are incompatible with involuntary separate maintenance allowance for mission employees' family members. Such controls may include inhouse
training for mission staff.

USAID/Afghanistan review all employees receiving involuntary separate maintenance allowance in fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012 to determine whether those employees or their dependent
family members received incompatible Foreign Service benefits and recover any incompatible benefits paid.

USAID/Pakistan establish and implement a procedure to more accurately estimate obligations for shipping and storage of goods and reduce the standard obligation from $25,000 to $15,000, resulting in an estimated $480,000 annually and $2.4 million over 5 years that could be put to better use.

USAID/Pakistan review unliquidated obligations of an estimated $860,000 for fiscal years 2008-2010 and deobligate funds no longer needed.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, direct the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco to develop and implement a written plan for mitigating the risk that certain trees may be adversely affected if they receive less maintenance than intended, either from contractors or farmers.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, direct the Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco to develop and implement a written plan for strengthening oversight of the contractor responsible for providing training to farmers and youth in the rain-fed rehabilitation activity.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, direct the Millennium Challenge AccountMorocco to clarify in writing the contract for training in the rain-fed rehabilitation activity to specify 15 as the minimum age for training partici pants.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, direct the Millennium Challenge AccountMorocco to clarify in writing the contract for training in the rain-fed rehabilitation activity to specify 15 as the minimum age for training partici pants.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, verify that the data reported for the farmers trained indicator in the rain-fed rehabilitation activity is accurate and document the verification

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, direct the Millennium Challenge AccountMorocco to comply or justify its noncompliance with the Millennium Challenge Corporation's branding guidance regarding the marking of material visible to a significant portion of the population.

USAID/South Sudan determine whether the fixed fee in Task Order Two of the Sudan Infrastructure Services Project can be reduced based on the reduction in the scope of work, document this determination, and recover the excess amount from Louis Berger Group.

USAID/South Sudan develop and implement a policy to have a second-level review by a contracting official of task orders worth more than a certain dollar amount to confirm they are structured to encourage contractors to fulfill their end of the agreement on time and within budget.

USAID/South Sudan develop and implement a plan to provide consistent contracting support for agreements managed by the mission.

USAID/South Sudan determine the final amount for the contract between Eyat and Louis Berger Group, and recover from Louis Berger Group any excess due to USAID.

USAID/South Sudan arrange for staff members to represent USAID's interest during any negotiation, arbitration, or litigation.

USAID/South Sudan define and document the roles and responsibilities of officials that oversee the Louis Berger Group contract, as well as the specific information that the Louis Berger Group needs to share with USAID, and provide this information to the Louis Berger Group.

USAID/South Sudan prepare all overdue contractor evaluations for Louis Berger Group under the Sudan Infrastructure Services Project.

USAID/South Sudan designate an official in writing to confirm that contractor performance evaluations are completed as required.

USAID/South Sudan train all mission personnel on their roles and responsibilities related to contractor performance evaluations.

USAID/South Sudan identify and document the most significant threats to the maintenance of the Juba-Nimule road and engage the Government of South Sudan to address these threats.

USAID/South Sudan include in its next portfolio review a discussion on whether any of its planned activities could or should address the obstacles that prevent the Juba-Nimule road from achieving its full potential.

We recommend that MCC/El Salvador require BANDESAL and FOMILENIO to amend all loan agreements to include language indicating that the contract would be subject to cancellation upon conviction of a narcotics offense or to engaging in drug trafficking

We recommend that MCC/El Salvador complete an independent review of approved applicants to determine if financial irregularities have been overlooked, terminate loans if applicable, and report to the appropriate local agency the results.

We recommend that MCC/El Salvador require BANDESAL and FOMILENIO to perform criminal background checks (which includes reviewing police records and excluded parties lists) on existing loan applicants.

We recommend that MCC/El Salvador require BANDESAL to develop a process, including training, for members of the organizations, loan recipients, and others to report fraud, irregularities, and questionable acts and detailed policies and procedures to investigate any allegations.

We recommend that MCC/El Salvador require BANDESAL to (a) further investigate the inconsistencies and irregularities noted in this review with regards to the loan application and loan recipients of the animal factory; (b) terminate the agreement if applicable, and (c) refer the case, if appropriate, to tax officials for investigation.