Audit of USAID/Haiti's Feed the Future North Project

USAID/Haiti, through the Feed the Future North Project contracting officer, identify activities that will have the greatest impact on project objectives given the remaining time and resources in the base implementation period, and reduce the scope of the contract accordingly.

USAID/Haiti begin a performance evaluation of the Feed the Future North Project by September 30, 2015.

USAID/Haiti remind contracting officer's representatives of their designated responsibilities to document performance concerns,
elevate the concerns to the contracting officer for timely resolution, and maintain complete documentation in the official project file.

USAID/Haiti document clear procedures, responsibilities, and timelines for requesting and approving waivers for restricted goods.

USAID/Haiti document clear procedures, responsibilities, and timelines for requesting and approving waivers for restricted goods.

USAID/Haiti document clear procedures designating the contracting officer's representative, or alternate contracting officer's representative as applicable, as the sole liaison between USAID and contractor staff unless otherwise specified, with procedures to document justification for any exceptions.

USAID/Haiti document clear roles and responsibilities for managing complex Feed the Future projects, and implement a plan to make sure these roles and responsibilities are respected and enforced.

USAID/Haiti set a deadline for Development
Alternatives Inc. to correct critical staffing deficiencies for the Feed the Future North Project and take formal corrective action if this deadline is not met.

USAID/Haiti review its requirement to approve all professional staff positions for the Feed the Future North Project, determine whether the requirement is in the best interests of the U.S. Government, and, through the project contracting officer, revise the requirement in the contract if necessary.

USAID/Haiti set a deadline for Development Alternatives Inc. to finalize the project-level environmental assessment for the Feed the Future North Project and take formal corrective action if the deadline is not met.

USAID/Haiti identify ongoing Feed the Future North Project activities that do not comply with environmental requirements and direct Development Alternatives Inc. to stop all identified activities until the required level of environmental review is completed.

USAID/Haiti direct Development Alternatives Inc. to revise its strategy for implementing Feed the Future North Project activities to address the dearth of capable local organizations in the northern corridor.

USAID/Haiti incorporate procedures in Mission Order 204-1 to document, at the start of the award, agreement between the contracting officer's representative; mission-, regional-, and bureau-level environmental officers; and the contractor on procedures and timelines to meet environmental compliance requirements.

USAID/Haiti modify its initial environmental examination for the food security and economic growth portfolio to remove any ambiguity about the required level of environmental review for its projects, programs, and activities, and request approval of the initial environmental examination from the bureau environmental officer.

USAID/Haiti develop a timeline with milestones for Development Alternatives Inc. to complete irrigation activities for the Feed the Future North Project and take formal corrective action if they are not met.

USAID/Haiti develop procedures to make sure contracts for infrastructure projects include clear specifications for cost-benefit analyses.

USAID/Haiti, through the Feed the Future North Project contracting officer, modify the contract to remove road rehabilitation activities and put $9.93 million to better use.

USAID/Haiti include an in-depth review of Development Alternative Inc.'s internal controls for procurement and distribution of project materials in its upcoming financial review of the Feed the Future North Project.

USAID/Haiti, through the Feed the Future North Project contracting officer, determine the allowability of $10,028 in unsupported questioned costs ($9,746 from unsupported distributions in our test sample and $264 from the banana plants delivered to cacao farmers) and recover from Development Alternatives Inc. any amount determined to be unallowable.

USAID/Haiti implement alternative measures to estimate the impact of the Feed the Future North Project and the progress of outcome indicators in the absence of a valid baseline study.