The objective of our audit was to assess ITA’s progress and actions to prevent, reduce, and remove foreign trade barriers. To address this objective, we assessed ITA’s process for (1) identifying and resolving trade barriers; (2) receiving, recording, and monitoring foreign trade barriers reported by U.S. companies; and (3) selecting trade barrier cases for reporting to stakeholders. We found that ITA did not effectively prevent, reduce, and remove foreign trade barriers to increase exports of U.S. goods and services and to ensure American businesses and workers have an equal opportunity to compete within foreign markets. Specifically, we found that ITA does not strategically manage trade barrier cases to ensure resources are effectively used to meet the needs of U.S. businesses; ITA did not ensure the completeness and accuracy of data reported in Salesforce; and ITA performance measures do not accurately report its efforts to assist U.S. companies in resolving trade barriers.
Open Recommendations
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 1. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade develop criteria and guidance for prioritizing trade barrier cases and identifying which cases might be a higher priority than others, based on the Administration's and the Department's goals, to ensure case contributor resources are used for cases that would have the most impact on the U.S. economy. | |||||
| 2 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 2. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade develop a strategy to manage and monitor foreign trade barrier cases that addresses the growing demand for ITA's assistance from U.S. businesses and achieves the Department's strategic goals for U.S. trade policy. | |||||
| 3 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 3. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade develop and implement a comprehensive workforce plan to: (a) determine optimal staffing levels needed to manage trade barrier cases and to clear the current backlog of unresolved cases and (b) identify any potential staffing shortfalls or gaps. | |||||
| 4 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 4. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade develop and publish policies and procedures that specify when a trade barrier case should be entered into Salesforce and that require management to provide oversight to ensure that cases are entered into Salesforce. | |||||
| 5 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 5. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade require staff to consistently track and update case information in Salesforce to ensure that it is accurate and complete. | |||||
| 6 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 6. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade develop and publish policies and procedures reauiring supervisors to validate that sufficient evidence exists in Salesforce to warrant reporting as a Written Impact Narrative. | |||||
| 7 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 7. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade establish objective performance measures to accurately assess and report ITA's progress in preventing, reducing, and removing foreign trade barriers. | |||||
| 8 | Yes | $0 | $0 | ||
| 8. We recommend that the Under Secretary for International Trade include a separate performance measure for reporting trade barriers that were prevented, reduced, and removed each fiscal year to show stakeholders ITA's effectiveness in assisting U.S. companies in resolving foreign trade barriers. | |||||
