Recommendation Dashboard

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President for the Department of Compact Operations review and clarify the Material Interim Amendment to the Program Procurement Guidelines that addresses government-owned enterprises and its applicability to subcontractors.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President for the Department of Compact Operations review and document the Millennium Challenge Account-Mongolia's procedures for identifying, reviewing, and approving all subcontracts in excess of $100,000 to confirm they are in accordance with the Program Procurement Guidelines.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President for the Department of Compact Operations develop a written plan for assessing the quality of data obtained from information management systems that is used during the due diligence phase of new compact development.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President for the Department of Compact Operations direct the Millennium Challenge Account-Mongolia to inspect all well houses to ensure that the generator exhaust fumes are properly vented and that no safety hazard exists and communicate the ventilation concern to the Government of Mongolia.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to provide and document training and advice to the Independent High Electoral Commission in developing an effective strategic plan to become a sustainable organization.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to include capacity-building activities in its work plans that would contribute to sustainability.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to work with the Independent High Electoral Commission to help it perform onsite needs assessments at each of the 19 Governorate Electoral Offices so that the assessment results can be incorporated into strategic and operational plans.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to perform and document onsite monitoring at the Governorate Electoral Offices to assess the effectiveness of training for electoral preparedness and capacity building.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to (1) coordinate with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq and the Independent High Electoral Commission to identify institutional gaps in writing, determine and document which gaps each organization will work on, and continually coordinate with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq to avoid any duplication of efforts.

USAID/Iraq work with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to prepare and use a performance management plan for the follow-on agreement to assess and report progress in achieving the program's objectives.

USAID/Iraq work with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to include capacity-building benchmarks, with targets and time frames, in its performance management plan.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to file all required paperwork immediately with the proper Iraqi Government office to become a legally registered nongovernmental organization in Iraq.

USAID/Iraq realign the follow-on agreement's budget by main program expected result and require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to provide quarterly financial reports to the mission showing funds expended by these categories.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to provide its organizational staffing chart with its budget to track and monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of labor costs proposed and budgeted for the follow-on agreement.

USAID/Iraq require the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to provide the data requested during the audit and compare current proposed and budgeted costs with recent actual costs to determine the reasonableness of the proposed costs as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of program funds.

USAID/Iraq obtain written commitment and buy-in from the Government of Iraq, including cost sharing, before investing any funds in information technology systems, and monitor the Government of Iraq's commitment throughout the implementation of the systems.

USAID/Iraq issue written guidance to implementing partners of programs with information technology components regarding the independent verification and validation review process so that it can be completed in a thorough and timely manner.

USAID/Iraq require sustainability and users' needs to be built into the design of USAID-funded information technology systems.

USAID/Iraq complete and transfer information technology systems to the Government of Iraq in sufficient time to confirm that the systems are fully functional and used for their intended purposes before programs end. The completion, transfer, and use of the system should be documented.

USAID/Iraq monitor the implementation of information technology systems and immediately stop funding them if they are found not to be usable, sustainable, or supported by the intended user.

USAID/Iraq work with the Government of Iraq to determine whether the Bill Tracking System and the Content Management System (Numbers 8 and 9 in the table) can be salvaged and used, and document the results.

USAID/Iraq establish and implement follow-up procedures to document that information technology systems have been transferred to the intended users and are in use.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad review its control environment and present the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance with a plan for successfully managing the program's grant portfolio and achieving its program objectives.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad clearly define grants management authorities and responsibilities and formally delegate them to appropriate staff to serve as agreement officer's technical representatives.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, in conjunction with the Office of General Counsel, clearly determine which federal regulations and Agency directives apply to the American Schools and Hospitals Abroad program and document any exclusions or exemptions.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad develop and implement policies and procedures that are consistent with applicable federal regulations, Agency directives, and best practices to promote adequate grants management.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad implement a grants information management system that will enable the office to capture accurate, timely, and useful information to facilitate proper grants management.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad develop and implement a plan for periodically validating the data in its grants information management system for completeness and accuracy.

The Office of American Schools and Hospitals Abroad develop and implement a monitoring plan that clearly outlines who can be designated as an agreement officer's technical representative and defines the roles and responsibilities of the representatives, systematically identifies the most appropriate grantees for site visits using programmatic and financial risk factors, and actively solicits help from overseas missions to monitor and evaluate grantee performance through site visits and liaison with the recipients.

USAID/Pakistan review program progress to date in line with expenditures and timelines to achieve the desired results for the remainder of the agreement, document the results of the review, and make adjustments to the program if necessary.

USAID/Pakistan update and finalize the program's performance management plan to ensure it is complete and meets Agency requirements.

USAID Administrator direct the Office of
Acquisition and Assistance to explore all options available, including the use of public
accounting firms, to expedite the audits of costs incurred by contractors.

USAID/West Africa determine whether incountry managers of USAID's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief activities in Cote d'Ivoire should be designated as activity managers through fiscal year 2012 and clearly define their roles and responsibilities accordingly.

USAID/West Africa analyze the capabilities of current and incoming personnel in Cote d'Ivoire and grant them an effective and appropriate level of authority for the day-to-day management of activities under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, taking into account their unique operating environment.

USAID/West Africa, in conjunction with Associazione Voluntari per Servici Internationale and Save the Children, develop and implement procedures for verifying reported data with source documentation, documenting key assumptions and calculations, and maintaining documentation to
support results and other program data reported to USAID.

USAID/West Africa perform and document a data quality assessment of data reported for Associazione Voluntari per Servici Internationale and Save the Children activities to ensure compliance with USAID guidelines and document results of the assessment.

USAID/West Africa develop and implement procedures that require Associazione Voluntari per Servici Internationale to use the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief guidelines to verify the eligibility of all orphans and vulnerable children who receive assistance as part of the program and document and maintain a record of each orphan and vulnerable child's eligibility at the centers where the orphans and vulnerable children receive assistance from the program.

M/OAA/CAS/CAM determine the allowability of the $138,877 in questioned costs ($85,065 ineligible and $53,812 unsupported) identified on pages 25 and 56 of Grant Thornton's audit report and recover from Light and Courage Centre Trust the amounts determined to be unallowable.

M/OAA/CAS/CAM ensures that Light and Courage Centre Trust corrects the eleven material weakness in internal control detailed on pages 33 to 43 of Grant Thornton's audit report.

M/OAA/CAS/CAM ensures that Light and Courage Centre Trust corrects the six instances of material noncompliance detailed on pages 47 to 52 of Grant Thornton's audit report.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia revise the Sapan Program's performance management plan to include performance indicators that reflect all the program's activities. All indicators should be precisely defined so that reported results accurately reflect intended accomplishments.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with its contractor to develop and implement a strategy to shift from OPERACY training to capacity-strengthening activities for independent government agencies, civil society organizations, and the media.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia adjust targets in the Sapan Program's performance management plan to reflect the change in the reporting period.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia require the contractor to meet deadlines for reporting results.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia establish ambitious but realistic end-of-program targets for all output and outcome indicators included in the Sapan Program's performance management plan.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia obtain and report baseline data for all ten outcome indicators included in the Sapan Program's performance management plan.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with its contractor to improve its procedures for monitoring Sapan Program-sponsored activities. These improved procedures would include closely tracking the participation of training recipients to verify that they receive intended instruction and are not paid when they do not attend.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia quantify the funds spent on flights, hotels, and per diem for the 28 individuals without adequate evidence of attending the sponsored training courses. If the mission determines that these expenses are unallowable, it should collect them, as applicable.

USAID/Regional Development Mission for Asia work with its contractor to establish and implement an action plan for communicating with program participants and conducting follow-up to maximize the effectiveness of sponsored activities.

USAID/Angola designate an individual, in writing, who is responsible for spearheading the mission's efforts to build and manage strategic partnerships and for maintaining the mission's relationship with the Office of Innovation and Development Alliances.

USAID/Angola review Mission Order 203 and update it to address performance management and evaluation requirements, including alternative monitoring activities to mitigate security constraints.

USAID/Angola remind staff members, in writing, of their responsibility to comply with Mission Order 203, until such guidance is superseded.

USAID/Angola develop and implement a strategy for addressing performance management requirements, given the human resources challenges the mission faces.

USAID/Angola remind the Cooperative League of the U.S.A., in writing, of its responsibility to report on progress toward its results, including reporting on its performance indicators quarterly.

USAID/Angola remind agreement officer's technical representatives, in writing, of their responsibility to maintain adequate files.

USAID/Angola contract an independent accounting firm to conduct an agreed-upon procedures engagement of the Municipal Development Program's expenditures.

The agreement officer for the Municipal Development Program remind CARE Angola, in writing, of its obligation to retain records supporting program expenditures for at least 3 years.

USAID/Angola remind staff members, in writing, of their responsibilities to verify that implementers adhere to branding and marking requirements, in accordance with Automated Directives System 320.