Audit of USAID/Egypt's Trade Facilitation Project

USAID/Egypt (1) review project tasks to determine their achievability and potential to have an impact, and (2) prioritize, select, and document the most promising tasks to focus on for the remainder of the contract.

USAID/Egypt work with the contractor to prepare a work plan around the selected tasks. It should include a budget to indicate the level of effort the project intends to spend on each task.

USAID/Egypt work with the contractor to perform a documented review of the project personnel, and, if necessary, adjust staff according to the new work plan.

USAID/Egypt perform a documented review of the need to increase the frequency of preparing project work plans from once to twice a year, and if changed, formalize it by modifying the contract.

USAID/Egypt develop a documented cost-benefit analysis on increasing the project's form of support beyond technical assistance to better align the project's efforts with the current needs of its partners.

USAID/Egypt work with the contractor to get project partners to confirm, in writing, their commitments to the new selected tasks and work plan.

USAID/OIG recommends that for the tasks that have been removed from the project's work plan, USAID/Egypt notify, in writing, the various project
partners about the changes.

USAID/Egypt work with the contractor to design a new monitoring program to track the progress of the new work plan. The monitoring program should include a revised performance monitoring plan
and a method for collecting and validating performance data.

USAID/Egypt perform a documented review of the merits of completing the information technology system at the Egyptian Customs Authority, decide how the mission plans to support the system's completion and sustainability, and document the decision.