Audit of the Planning, Design, Construction, and Commissioning of the Central Power Plant at U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq

Date Issued

Friday, November 24, 2023

Submitting OIG

Department of State OIG

Other Participating OIGs

Department of State OIG

Agencies Reviewed/Investigated

Department of State

Components

Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Bureau of Administration

Report Number

AUD-GEER-24-02

Report Type

Audit

Agency Wide

Yes

Number of Recommendations

Questioned Costs

Funds for Better Use

Open Recommendations

This report has 3 open recommendations.

Recommendation Number	Significant Recommendation	Recommended Questioned Costs	Recommended Funds for Better Use
1	Yes	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, issue a directive (1) emphasizing the requirement to comply with Federal Acquisition Regulation 36.605(b), which states that access to information concerning the independent government cost estimate shall be limited to government personnel whose official duties require knowledge of the estimate and (2) underscoring accountability and identifying penalties for noncompliance.
3	Yes	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, develop, implement, and communicate a process to ensure that new work that is not within the general scope of the contract or task order is treated as a new procurement, preventing out-of-scope modifications, as required by federal regulations and Department requirements.
5	Yes	$0	$0
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, issue a directive (1) emphasizing that the most highly qualified Architect/Engineering firm shall be selected, as required by public law, federal regulations, and Department of State requirements, and (2) underscoring accountability and identifying penalties for noncompliance.