Recommendation Dashboard

USAID/El Salvador work with Nathan Associates Inc. to implement a plan for helping producers overcome obstacles noted by regional buyers.

USAID/El Salvador, in coordination with Nathan Associates Inc., implement a plan for expediting delivery of equipment that grantees need to achieve their export goals.

USAID/El Salvador document a plan to measure the impact of value-chain interventions on nutrition and income for small farmers supported by the project.

USAID/El Salvador review and document the choice of value chains to determine whether they met the nutrition and income criteria established in the contract and make adjustments as appropriate.

USAID/El Salvador document a meaningful indicator to measure the project's impact on supported producers.

USAID/El Salvador document the rationale for expected targets for the Regional Trade and Market Alliances project and make adjustments as appropriate for the remainder of the activity.

USAID/El Salvador develop written instructions to staff requiring them to comply with USAID policy by documenting targets.

USAID/El Salvador instruct Nathan Associates Inc. to verify the number of small producer units participating in regional and export value chains supported by the project.

USAID/El Salvador develop a joint training program for technical officers and the monitoring and evaluation specialist to review their shared responsibilities for performance monitoring and data quality, as described in Mission Order 203.

USAID/El Salvador formally request that the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean review and issue a written decision on the curtailment of project activities in the Dominican Republic.

USAID/El Salvador perform a financial review of Nathan Associates Inc. to determine whether its systems meet acquisition requirements.

USAID/El Salvador determine the allowability of $172,570 in ineligible questioned costs for consulting contracts that did not follow acquisition regulations, and recover from Nathan Associates Inc. any amount deemed unallowable.

USAID/El Salvador issue written instructions to the contractor officer's representative on the proper procedures for contract approvals.

The Deputy Administrator develop and implement a plan to ensure the chief information officer position reports directly to the Administrator or Deputy Administrator as required by the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act of 2014 and the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996.

The Deputy Administrator develop a written plan to ensure the chief information officer has a significant role in the management, governance, and oversight of information technology as required by the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act of 2014.

The chief information officer implement a plan to segregate the deputy chief information officer and chief information security officer positions and appoint in writing a senior-level chief information security officer in accordance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act.

The chief information officer remediate vulnerabilities on the network identified by the Office of Inspector General's contractor, as appropriate, or document acceptance of the risks of those vulnerabilities.

The chief information officer document and
implement a process to track and remediate persistent vulnerabilities promptly, or document acceptance of the risk of those vulnerabilities.

The chief information officer document and implement a process to ensure vulnerability assessment tools are configured to detect vulnerabilities previously not detected by internal scans.

The chief information officer document and implement a process to centrally manage printers and apply hardened security configurations prior to placing printers into the production environment.

The chief information officer document and implement a plan to make sure all internal and external systems have a current authority to operate.

The chief information officer, in coordination with the chief financial officer, document and implement a procedure to minimize exposure of personally identifiable information in webTA.

The chief information officer, in coordination with the chief financial officer, document and implement a procedure to complete, approve, and maintain access request forms for webTA users in accordance with policies, or document acceptance of the risk of not having such controls.

The chief information officer, in coordination with the chief financial officer, document and implement a procedure to review webTA accounts periodically for appropriateness in accordance with policies or document acceptance of the risk of not having such controls.

The chief information officer develop and implement a written process to validate that the AIDnet plan of action and milestones is completed and updated promptly.

The director of the Office of Management Policy, Budget, and Performance, in coordination with the chief information officer and the chief human capital officer, document and implement a procedure to promptly remove system accounts associated with people no longer at the Agency.

The chief information officer, in coordination with the chief human capital officer, document and implement a process to verify that all employees' exit clearance forms are completed and maintained in accordance with policy.

The chief information officer document and implement a procedure to complete, approve, and maintain access request forms for individuals requiring access to the information technology rooms in the Ronald Reagan Building and Two Potomac Yard locations.

The chief information officer document and implement a procedure to review individual access periodically and ensure only authorized personnel have access to information technology rooms in the Ronald Reagan Building and Two Potomac Yard locations.

The chief information officer document and implement a validation process to confirm that all memorandums of understanding and interconnection security agreements are current and approved.

The chief financial officer document and implement a procedure to review third-party assessment reports to ensure complementary user entity controls have been implemented for the Enterprise Loan Management System.

The chief financial officer document and implement a procedure to review active Enterprise Loan Management System accounts that have not been used for a specified period and disable them as necessary in accordance with agency policy.

The chief financial officer document and implement a procedure to periodically review the Department of State vulnerability scan results and remediation actions supporting the Phoenix application.

USAID/Afghanistan determine the allowability of $684,367 in questioned costs ($129,715 ineligible and $554,652 unsupported) identified on page 18 of Davis and Associates' audit report and recover from Advanced Engineering Associates International, Inc. any amounts determined to be unallowable.

USAID/Afghanistan verify that Advanced Engineering Associates International, Inc. corrects the one significant deficiency in internal control (payment of local staff salaries and purchase of fuel in cash) identified on pages 27 of Davis and Associates' audit report and further detailed on pages 48-49.

USAID/Afghanistan verify that Advanced Engineering Associates International, Inc. corrects the four instances of material noncompliance (purchase of business class airfare, lack of competition and vetting, making severance payment to TCN personnel, and not withholding taxes from payments made to certain companies) identified on pages 28-29 of Davis and Associates' audit report and further detailed on pages 33-47.

Recommendation 1. We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Domestic and International Security Division, in coordination with the Office of the General Counsel, implement a corrective action plan that addresses the Office of Inspector General's review results and to strengthen the agency's classified national security information program and to achieve full compliance with Executive Order 13526 and Information Security Oversight Office regulations and directives.

The Office of the Administrator implement a corrective action plan, described in Automated
Directives System 596, to bring USAID's Classified National Security Information Program into full compliance with Executive Order 13526 and Information Security Oversight Office regulations and directives.

USAID/Egypt implement additional controls to make sure required data quality assessments are completed before submitting data in the annual performance plan and report.

USAID/Jordan implement additional controls to make sure required data quality assessments are completed before submitting data in the annual performance plan and report.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement additional controls to make sure required data quality assessments are completed before submitting data in the annual performance plan and report.

USAID/Egypt's program office provide technical assistance to agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives on how to verify implementers’ data.

USAID/Jordan's management implement a plan to reinforce sound methodologies with agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives for verifying implementers' data.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's management implement a plan to reinforce sound methodologies with agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer’s representatives for verifying implementers' data.

USAID/Egypt's office directors implement a plan to make sure data quality assessments are complete.

USAID/Jordan's office directors implement a plan to make sure data quality assessments are complete.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's office directors implement a plan to make sure data quality assessments are complete.

USAID/Egypt, in coordination with its technical offices, implement a plan to strengthen controls over its databases to reduce errors in reporting.

USAID/Egypt conduct an assessment with mission employees to find ways of improving Egypt Info for performance monitoring and reporting, and document an action plan with milestones to address the assessment's findings.

USAID/Jordan, in coordination with its technical offices, implement a plan to strengthen controls over its databases to reduce errors in reporting.

USAID/Jordan implement procedures to assess what agreement officer's representatives, contracting officer's representatives, and office directors need before the mission develops a new information management system for performance monitoring.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza document an assessment and decision whether to hire an outside firm or other alternative to provide technical assistance for local nongovernmental organizations on USAID's requirements.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza conduct an assessment with its staff and implementers to find ways of improving the Geo-Management Information System for performance monitoring and reporting, and document an action plan with timelines to address the assessment's findings.

USAID/Egypt develop a mission-wide performance management plan.

USAID/Jordan implement an action plan to make sure all activity and project performance management plan indicators feed into the mission performance management plan.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza develop a mission-wide performance management plan.

USAID/Egypt implement an action plan to make sure gender-sensitive indicators and sex-disaggregated data are incorporated in project design documents and activity performance management plans.

USAID/Jordan implement an action plan to make sure sex-disaggregated data are incorporated in activity performance management plans.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement an action plan to make sure sex-disaggregated data are incorporated in activity performance management plans.

USAID/Egypt document the reallocation of budgeted funds to make sure enough money is dedicated to monitoring and evaluations.

USAID/Jordan document the reallocation of budgeted funds to make sure enough money is dedicated to monitoring and evaluations.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza document the reallocation of budgeted funds to make sure enough money is dedicated to monitoring and evaluations.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement changes to its budgeting process to make sure the monitoring and evaluation point of contact has input on how monitoring and evaluation funds are allocated.

USAID/Egypt implement additional tools (e.g., templates, standardized filing systems, handover checklists) that management deems appropriate for agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives to use when documenting and maintaining official files.

USAID/Egypt's contracting and agreement office implement a plan to work with agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives to reinforce requirements for documenting site visit reports and maintaining official files.

USAID/Jordan implement additional tools (e.g., templates, standardized filing systems, handover checklists) that management deems appropriate for agreement officer’s representatives and contracting officer's representatives to use when documenting and maintaining official files.

'USAID/Jordan's contracting and agreement office implement a plan to work with agreement officer’s representatives and contracting officer's representatives to reinforce requirements for documenting site visit reports and maintaining official files.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's contracting and agreement office implement a plan to work with agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives to reinforce requirements for documenting site visit reports and maintaining official files.

USAID/Egypt's office directors implement a plan to reinforce guidelines for agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives to conduct site visits to provide oversight according to the mission order on performance monitoring.

USAID/Jordan's office directors implement a plan to reinforce guidelines for agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives to conduct monthly site visits to provide oversight according to the mission order on performance monitoring.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's office directors implement a plan to reinforce guidelines for agreement officer’s representatives and contracting officer's representatives to conduct site visits to provide oversight.

USAID/Egypt's mission management document actions to make sure future portfolio reviews are conducted according to Automated Directives System 203.3.12.

USAID/Egypt implement measures to confirm that implementers and agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives are informed of Development Experience Clearinghouse submission requirements.

USAID/Jordan implement measures to confirm that implementers and agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives are informed of Development Experience Clearinghouse submission requirements.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement measures to confirm that implementers and agreement officer's representatives and contracting officer's representatives are informed of Development Experience Clearinghouse submission requirements.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's contracting office implement a plan to confirm that contracting performance report requirements are met.

USAID/Egypt implement a plan to make sure the evaluation point of contact's workload in the program office is adequate so all required evaluations are completed in a timely manner and reviewed for quality control.

USAID/Egypt implement a training and technical assistance plan to make sure key mission staff working on evaluations have received initial or refresher training on evaluation management and methods.

USAID/Jordan implement a plan to make sure the evaluation point of contact's workload in the program office is adequate so all required evaluations are completed in a timely manner and reviewed for quality control.

USAID/Jordan implement and document a training and technical assistance plan to make sure key mission staff working on evaluations have received initial or refresher training on evaluation management and methods.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement a plan to make sure the staffing levels and workloads of program office employees, including the evaluation point of contact, are adequate so all required evaluations are completed in a timely manner and reviewed for quality control.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement and document a training and technical assistance plan to make sure key mission staff working on evaluations have received initial or refresher training on evaluation management and methods.

USAID/Egypt implement an action plan to make sure project design documents address the evaluation policy planning requirements.

USAID/Jordan complete and document its calculations of the average size of projects and include all required large projects in its inventory.

USAID/Jordan implement an action plan to make sure project design documents address the evaluation policy planning requirements.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza document its calculations of the average size of projects and include all required large projects in the mission's inventory and annual performance, plan, and report evaluation registry.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement an action plan to make sure project design documents address the evaluation policy planning requirements.

USAID/Egypt implement actions to make sure mission personnel complete a statement of work checklist or the equivalent before an evaluation is conducted.

USAID/Jordan implement actions to make sure mission personnel complete a statement of work checklist or the equivalent before an evaluation is conducted.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement actions to make sure mission personnel complete a statement of work checklist or the equivalent before an evaluation is conducted.

USAID/Egypt implement a comprehensive plan to make sure draft reports for evaluations meet USAID's standards and minimum documentation requirements, and that management or program actions to address recommendations are documented.

USAID/Jordan implement a comprehensive plan to make sure draft reports for evaluations meet USAID's standards and minimum documentation requirements, and that management or program actions to address recommendations are documented.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement a plan to document management or program actions to address recommendations and maintain documentation in a central location.

USAID/Tanzania implement a plan to validate beneficiaries' survey-based, self-reported data.

USAID/Tanzania revise its Feed the Future performance indicators on distributing vitamin A to children under 5, on providing essential nutrition services, and on reaching women of reproductive age so that they portray outputs attained accurately.

USAID/Tanzania establish a site visit policy that includes standards for frequency and documentation.

USAID/Mexico require Abt Associates Inc. to update its monitoring and evaluation plan to include data sheets for all indicators, and update its work plan to match the monitoring and evaluation plan and comply with contract requirements.

USAID/Mexico require Abt Associates Inc. to reflect the correct number of peopled trained in program reports and databases.

USAID/Mexico require Abt Associates Inc., after updating the monitoring and evaluation plan, work plan, and reported results, to train staff on how to collect and report data.

USAID/Mexico implement a fixed-fee payment schedule tied to the accomplishment of contract goals and indicator targets.

USAID/Mexico determine the allowability of $366,212 in ineligible questioned costs related to the contractor's noncompliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13, and recover from Abt Associates Inc. the amount determined to be unallowable.

USAID/Mexico conduct a financial review of Abt Associates Inc. that includes an evaluation of compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 13, and make recommendations to improve compliance if warranted.

USAID/Mexico implement a monitoring plan for its branding and marking requirements to make sure mission staff and implementers are complying.

USAID/Mexico require Abt Associates Inc. to obtain approvals for using contractor and subcontractor logos and a waiver from using USAID's logo on all materials and Web sites developed and supported by the program, and establish an approval process with the mission for all future activities.

USAID/Mexico provide written instructions to Abt Associates Inc. regarding branding and marking requirements and require Abt Associates Inc. to develop and implement a training plan for its staff and all subcontractors working on the program.

USAID/Mexico determine the allowability of up to $1,738,912 in potential unsupported questioned costs related to the lack of appropriate monitoring and oversight for amounts expended by C230 Consultores S.C. and Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad A.C., and recover from Abt Associates Inc. the amount determined to be unallowable.

USAID/Pakistan develop a Pakistan strategy that complies with Automated Directives System 201.

USAID's Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning revise the Automated Directives System to clearly define USAID's roles and responsibilities for designing and implementing development when it is subject to State Department control in critical priority countries and provide alternate development strategies when a country development cooperation strategy or a transitional country strategy is not an option.

USAID/Pakistan mission director prepare and provide to the USAID Administrator a plan to institute an interagency forum where USAID can better present its development perspective in critical priority countries, where the State Department takes the lead.

USAID/Pakistan develop high-level indicator baselines and targets in its mission strategic framework.

USAID/Pakistan's Office of Acquisition and Assistance implement guidance requiring risk assessments for potential local awardees, if no risk assessments were previously performed.

USAID/Pakistan extends its award to Rural Support Programmes Network, the scope of work be reduced to overseeing the accounting firms' assessments, with the caveat that Rural Support Programmes Network review accounting firms' working papers for a random sample of assessment reports.

USAID/Pakistan implement a plan for improving the delivery and measurement of capacity development under future awards.

USAID/Pakistan develop policies and procedures to require that the exchange rate be established at the signing of the implementation letter as the exchange rate in effect at that date.

USAID/Pakistan require the contracting officer's representative for the monitoring and evaluation contract provide a copy of Mission Order 200.2 to those following up on evaluation reports.

USAID/Pakistan require contracting officer's representatives for the monitoring and evaluation contract to keep action plans for follow-up on evaluation findings and recommendations in their files and revise the file checklist to include these items.

USAID/Pakistan require procurement officials to include cost realism checklists in the Agency Secure Image and Storage Tracking System for government-to-government awards, and periodically review for completeness the documentation supporting cost realism.

USAID/Pakistan determine the amount of taxes it paid Pakistan and seek reimbursement from the Government of Pakistan or take steps to withhold the appropriate amount from future appropriations for assistance to Pakistan.

USAID/Pakistan implement procedures for determining and tracking tax liability, seeking reimbursement from the Government of Pakistan for exempted taxes paid but not remitted, and taking steps for withholding unremitted taxes from future appropriations to Pakistan.

USAID/Pakistan's Office of Acquisition and Assistance add to its procurement checklist a requirement to document in its files all sources and calculations that support independent government cost estimates.

USAID/Pakistan's Office of Acquisition and Assistance establish a policy for verifying whether U.S. contractors bidding for cost-type contracts have adequate cost accounting and purchasing systems as part of the responsibility determination.

USAID/Pakistan complete site visit templates and checklists in PakInfo and implement a plan for validating that all appropriate staff are aware of and use the templates.

USAID/Pakistan add a requirement to agreement/contracting officer representatives' designation letters to complete reports within a specified time after completing site visits.

USAID/Pakistan issue guidance describing the roles of provincial offices and activity managers and describing how provincial offices will receive funding commensurate with their responsibilities.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division in coordination with the responsible contracting officer, modify the active task order to require the contractor to provide insecticide inventories, expiration dates, and values before and after spraying for immediate management oversight.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, in coordination with the responsible contracting officer, require the contractor to document its review of the project's warehouse procedures and inventories before, during, and after spray activities and provide information to USAID officials routinely.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, in coordination with the responsible contracting officer, require the contractor to review its inventory process to identify deficiencies and implement corrective action.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, in coordination with the responsible contracting officer, require the contractor to develop a commodities disposition plan to expedite relocation or disposal of expired or nearly expired insecticide products.

USAID/Madagascar, in consultation with U.S. Embassy Antananarivo, its regional legal officer, and its regional contracting officer, implement written procedures to remind the Government of Madagascar periodically of its obligations to refund value-added taxes and the consequences of
noncompliance.

USAID/Madagascar, in consultation with U.S. Embassy Antananarivo, its regional legal officer, and its regional contracting officer, implement a written process to address the Government of Madagascar's nonreimbursement of value-added taxes, and communicate the results to the
contractor for the African Indoor Residual Spraying Project.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, require the contractor to update its environmental mitigation and monitoring plan to include mobile soak pits.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, require the contractor to use the environmental mitigation and monitoring report format and certification form designed for indoor residual spraying activities by the 2013-2018 supplemental environmental assessment to comply with annual environmental reporting requisites.

The Bureau for Global Health's Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Malaria Division, require the contractor to identify the locations of mobile soak pits used in the past two spray campaigns, determine whether the pits have had any negative environmental impact, and document
the actions taken to mitigate any adverse effects of insecticide contaminants.

Bureau for Global Health require the contracting officer representative to perform periodic reviews of documentation supporting expenditures for the Africa Indoor Residual Spraying Project.