Audit of the Department of State’s Administration of the Shipment and Storage of Personal Effects During Post Assignment Travel

Date Issued

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Submitting OIG

Department of State OIG

Agencies Reviewed/Investigated

Department of State

Components

Bureau of Administration

Report Number

AUD-FM-25-22

Report Type

Audit

Agency Wide

Yes

Number of Recommendations

Questioned Costs

Funds for Better Use

Report updated under NDAA 5274

External Link

https://www.stateoig.gov/report/aud-fm-25-22

Open Recommendations

This report has 4 open recommendations.

Recommendation Number	Significant Recommendation	Recommended Questioned Costs	Recommended Funds for Better Use
1	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement policies and procedures for aspects of the tender agreement process that do not have established requirements, such as promoting and expanding competition and negotiating rates, adding the required terms and conditions to tenders, evaluating whether bidding transportation service providers (TSP) have met all terms and conditions, and requesting to add or remove a TSP to or from a post's list of preferred TSPs for participation in the International Through Government Bill of Lading program.
2	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement policies and procedures for documenting justified exceptions to booking shipments using the preferred shipment method of International Through Government Bill of Lading, identifying key decision factors to select the appropriate shipment method, and evaluating shipments in line with those factors.
3	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration update the tender of service template for shipping and storage services with all terms and conditions required by the Federal Management Regulation and disseminate the updated template to post personnel.
4	No	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement standardized training"for new and existing despatch agency personnel"that covers key decision factors and evaluation guidelines for determining the appropriate shipment method for personal effects.