Audit of Selected Activities Under USAID’s Higher Education for Development Program

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade develop a performance management plan in accordance with USAID guidelines that includes the new performance indicators.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, in coordination with the American Council on Education and Higher Education for Development, review and revise its targets as appropriate and communicate with partners regarding established targets.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade conduct a more thorough and rigorous data quality assessment, verifying source data and data acquisition methodologies, on all standard performance indicators that Higher Education for Development is required to report on.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade work with USAID's Office of Acquisition and Assistance to establish a plan to transfer any Washington-based awards to the mission where the activity is occurring or to devise a plan to aid in monitoring the activities.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade work with the American Council on Education to develop and implement procedures for regular monitoring of Higher Education for Development activities and data acquisition methods and verification of data quality.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade work with the American Council on Education to develop a more realistic reporting time frame for reporting data for Higher Education for Development's performance indicators and to minimize the need for estimates.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade develop and implement procedures to verify data included in its sector's Performance Plan and Report and USAID's Performance Accountability Report.

USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade fully disclose any data limitations in its sector's performance plan and report and USAID's performance accountability report and their implications for assessing the measurement and achievement of intended results.

USAID/Mexico develop and implement procedures to better communicate with USAID/Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, and seek participation to evaluate jointly the progress and problems that impede progress of Higher Education for Development and come up with steps to address those problems.

USAID/Mexico review the unauthorized commitment and ratify it or take other action as deemed necessary, and document the deposition.

USAID/Mexico implement procedures and issue instructions that all communication regarding changes that directly affect the award amount or other budgetary changes to the associate award, and the subawards under it, come directly from the agreement officer.

USAID/Mexico implement procedures for the agreement officer to improve his or her supervision over the agreement officer's technical representative.

USAID/Mexico counsel staff members involved in providing inaccurate guidance to the implementer on the extent of their authority and the risks involved if that authority is exceeded.

USAID/Mexico assess the training needs of agreement and contracting officers' technical representatives and implement a plan to provide them and their alternates with refresher training as necessary to increase awareness of their roles and responsibilities.