Recommendation Dashboard

USAID/Ecuador document the challenges faced in improving livelihoods in its final report and upload the evaluation to the Development Experience Clearinghouse.

USAID/Ecuador, in conjunction with Chemonics, update the definition of the leverage indicator to include only resources leveraged during the life of the program, classify nonprofits as public institutions and for-profits as private institutions, disaggregate private and public resources leveraged when reporting, and report revised figures in its final report; it should then document all four actions.

Policy Division of the Office of Acquisition
and Assistance update Automated Directives System Chapters 302 and 303 to include definitions and criteria for identifying and classifying leverage requirements in contracts and assistance agreements outside of formal Global Development Alliance activities.

USAID/Pakistan work with the International Food Policy Research Institute to implement a plan for establishing provincial subcommittees comprising policy makers and representatives of research institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

USAID/Pakistan work with the International Food Policy Research Institute to obtain a list of research organizations that would be interested in offering program training.

USAID/Pakistan work with the International Food Policy Research Institute to train instructors and provide course outlines for training that research organizations can begin offering, and document its actions.

The Office of Security develop, implement, and document a sampling method for reporting classification decisions that can be projected to the total population of classifiers at USAID.

The Office of Security train employees who are required to report information on classification decisions to make sure they understand their reporting duties, and document such training.

The Office of Security update Automated Directives System 568 to state that inspections of classified documents shall be conducted using a representative sample.

The Office of Security conduct inspections of classified information using a formal process with a representative sample, and document the results of the testing.

The Office of Security implement a procedure to work with the Chief Information Office during inspections to sample users of the electronic system (ClassNet) and test for overclassification and classification markings.

The Office of Security identify documents marked incorrectly during inspections and explain proper marking to employees performing the classifications, and document the results.

The Office of Security identify employees who perform a large quantity of derivative classifications, and enforce proper management of classified information by including it as an element in their performance evaluations.

The Office of Security publish USAID's classification guide during fiscal year 2014.

The Office of Security update Automated Directives System 568 to reflect the Agency's current requirements for employees recording classification decisions.

Office of Security work with the Chief Information Office to train ClassNet users on how to use the marking tool, and document such training.

The Office of Security provide customized original classification authority training annually to original classifiers, and document they have completed the training.

USAID/Nicaragua work with University Research Co. LLC to provide technical assistance, training, and guidelines to grantees on data verification and quality control, and document all such activities.

USAID/Nicaragua work with University Research Co. LLC to distribute to grantees best practices and lessons learned on using the database.

USAID/Nicaragua work with University Research Co. LLC to define which participants to count as trained for each module, and update the Training Results and Information Network to reflect this new definition.

USAID/Nicaragua provide and document training for its staff on using and monitoring the Training Results and Information Network.

USAID/Nicaragua establish a process to validate data that implementers enter into the Training Results and Information Network.

USAID/Nicaragua give all implementers the
Counter-Trafficking in Persons Field Guide, which includes guidance for reporting suspected cases of trafficking through the Office of Inspector General Hotline, and document the distribution.

USAID/Nicaragua disseminate a fact sheet highlighting services available in Nicaragua that assist victims of trafficking and other people in need, and document its actions.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, (1) implement comprehensive, specific guidance for Millennium Challenge Accounts on key staff compensation practices such as determining salaries, conducting performance evaluations, and awarding performance-based bonuses, and (2) determine and document if and how the Millennium Challenge Corporation should use compensation specialists to help develop the guidance.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, require Millennium Challenge Account fiscal accountability plans to (1) explicitly define the roles and responsibilities for all those involved in the oversight process for Millennium Challenge Account key staff compensation decisions, and (2) address the role of compensation specialists and how and when the Millennium Challenge Accounts should use them.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, require Millennium Challenge Accounts to conduct and document periodic reviews to verify that those who have oversight responsibilities are fulfilling their duties.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, implement a training plan for Millennium Challenge Account officials with oversight responsibilities for compensation practices and decisions.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, implement an action plan to complete the hiring of key staff before compact implementation in accordance with its Guidelines for Accountable Entities and Implementation Structure

We recommend that the Vice President of Compact Operations document a comprehensive, systematic approach to confirm that compact records, including key staff records, are retained at Millennium Challenge Corporation headquarters in compliance with its Policy and Procedures for Compact-Related Federal Recordkeeping.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, designate a Millennium Challenge Corporation employee to be responsible for overseeing Millennium Challenge Account compensation.

We recommend that the Millennium Challenge Corporation's Vice President, Department of Compact Operations, implement a systematic method of sharing information about Millennium Challenge Account staffing and compensation materials, tools, and approaches among headquarters and Millennium Challenge Account employees.

USAID/Senegal implement a plan to ensure that its technical offices perform necessary management responsibilities, including maintaining adequate files.

USAID/Senegal implement a plan to document its quarterly review of Research Triangle Institute's cost-share contribution. This review should include steps to request supporting documentation for the amount reported and to verify that the reported items comply with the agreed-upon elements for the project.

USAID/Senegal determine the allowability of the $251,713 in ineligible questioned costs included in the project's cost-sharing contribution and collect from Research Triangle Institute any amount deemed unallowable.

USAID/Senegal require its partners to include in their periodic progress reports a discussion of the sustainability of activities. This discussion should identify any obstacles to sustainability and actions to address them.

USAID/Senegal, in coordination with Research Triangle Institute, implement a plan to resolve the problems impeding operations of the regional training centers.

USAID/Senegal notify the Ministry of Education, in writing, of its intention not to build regional training centers in project areas.

USAID/Senegal, in coordination with Research Triangle Institute, develop clear and user-friendly documents for teachers and school administrators to use in carrying out the remedial course.

USAID/Senegal, in coordination with Research Triangle Institute, implement a plan to retrain teacher trainers in the proper administration of the remedial course and its accompanying tool kit. This plan should include a schedule for carrying out additional teacher-retraining sessions.

USAID/Senegal, in coordination with Research Triangle Institute, implement a plan to verify that the final results reported by the project comply with USAID data quality standards.

USAID/Afghanistan perform and document an analysis to identify a more economical and affordable fuel supply that would allow the Tarakhil Power Plant to increase its operations and generate power on a regular, sustainable basis.

USAID/Afghanistan implement a strategy to strengthen the capacity of Tarakhil Power Plant staff to maintain key control systems. At a minimum, this strategy should include training to help technical staff diagnose and troubleshoot control system malfunctions on their own and steps to be taken, by both USAID and Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, to make a software/systems engineer available to the power plant to assist with control system malfunctions and follow up on ongoing system-related issues.

USAID/Afghanistan implement a training strategy, which includes milestone dates, for equipping staff at the Tarakhil Power Plant with the skills to operate and maintain the plant sustainably.

USAID/Afghanistan implement a strategy, which includes milestone dates, to repair or replace the Tarakhil Power Plant's maintenance management system, provide plant staff with further training and supervision in the use of this system to enable them to manage Tarakhil's inventory control functions on their own, and facilitate a comprehensive inventory of the plant's spare parts, supplies, and nonexpendable assets.

USAID/Afghanistan ask the utility company's management to provide a plan, including milestone dates, outlining the steps it will take to strengthen the management support it provides to the Tarakhil Power Plant. At a minimum, this plan should include identification and procurement of needed critical spare parts for the plant's inventory, development of a detailed annual operating budget for the plant, operation of all plant generators for a minimum of 4 hours per month, and review of the staffing patterns at Tarakhil to assess, with input from the plant manager, whether existing staff possess the skills required for their positions and whether additional staff are required in certain areas.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement a plan to evaluate the impact that the program's scholarship activities have had on improving the quality of higher education.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza require America-Mideast Educational and Training Services Inc., in writing, to report the corrected data for its outcome indicators.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza's program office, in coordination with the agreement officer's representative, record the corrected data in the mission's Geo-Management Information System.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza make an adjustment in the Agency's accounting system to reflect the accurate amount disbursed for higher education and basic education activities under this program.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza implement a plan to integrate gender activities into work plans for the Palestinian Faculty Development Program and Leadership and Teacher Development program.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza track and report all people-level indicators disaggregated by sex in its performance management plan for the Palestinian Faculty Development Program.

USAID/West Bank and Gaza train America-Mideast Educational and Training Services Inc.'s Palestinian Faculty Development Program staff on USAID's policies, rules, and regulations regarding gender integration and equality, and document such training.

USAID/Afghanistan implement a corrective action plan that would effectively address the slow time frames for immediate and tailored program assistance for the remaining program performance, in the absence of an agreement with the International Security Assistance Force and with procurement delays caused by International Relief and Development Inc.'s local procurement procedures. The plan should include a description of the actions the mission intends to take, together with specific target dates for completing these actions.

USAID/Afghanistan implement procedures that would effectively strengthen the beneficiary verification process in the absence of an
agreement with the International Security Assistance Force so that assistance does not
go to beneficiaries who are not genuine.

USAID/Afghanistan establish a plan for closing down operations in anticipation of the program ending in September 2014, a reduced international military presence in Afghanistan by the end of December 2014, and a reduction in the number of incidents that are eligible for program assistance due to a reduced international military presence. The plan should include a description of the actions the mission intends to take and specific target dates for the reduction of International Relief and Development Inc.'s program offices and staff.

USAID/Afghanistan conduct an audit as planned in fiscal year 2014 to determine the allowability, eligibility, and reasonableness of program costs billed and the $12.2 million in cost-share expenditures reported by International Relief and Development Inc. under the cooperative agreement.

USAID's Chief Financial Officer track and monitor the status of recommendations made by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Archives and Records Administration in United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assessment of Safeguarding and Counterintelligence Postures for Classified National Security Information in Automated Systems and verify that the Agency takes and documents corrective action on the
recommendations.

USAID's Chief Financial Officer revise the Audit Performance and Compliance Division's standards for determining final action on audit recommendations to include performing tests, as appropriate, to substantiate documentation that corrective action has been taken on audit recommendations.