What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations of Embassy Bridgetown, Barbados. The inspection also included Embassy St. George’s, Grenada; Consular Agency Antigua and Barbuda; and Consular Agency Martinique.
What OIG Found
- Embassy Bridgetown’s Front Office generally complied with Department of State standards for tone at the top and standards of conduct, execution of foreign policy goals and objectives, security and emergency planning, and equal employment opportunity. The Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, engaged all elements of the workforce, provided useful guidance, and responded to employee concerns.
- Embassy Bridgetown did not have a clear delineation of chief of mission security responsibilities for British and French territories in the Eastern Caribbean.
- The embassy had deficiencies in consular oversight.
- Embassy Bridgetown had several safety issues related to elevator mechanical deficiencies, fire protection, and workplace safety inspections.
- The embassy’s contract file management and contracting officer’s representative program did not fully comply with Department standards.
- The embassy had deficiencies related to the security of information systems and information technology assets, the emergency communications program, and mobile device management in Bridgetown and at Embassy St. George’s.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 30 recommendations: 29 recommendations to Embassy Bridgetown and 1 recommendation to the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with 24 recommendations, partially concurred with 2 recommendations, and neither agreed nor disagreed with 4 recommendations. OIG considers all 30 recommendations resolved. The Department’s formal responses are reprinted in their entirety in Appendix B.
Antigua & Barbuda
Barbados
St. Vincent & Grenadines
Dominica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Grenada
St. Lucia
