Open Recommendations

Mandate standardized training for SharePoint administrators and owners to clarify and reinforce data security requirements.

USAID/Sri Lanka verify that Safe Foundation corrects the two instances of material noncompliance detailed on pages 38 to 40 of the audit report.

USAID/Indonesia determine the allowability of $42,764 ineligible questioned costs, as detailed on pages 25 to 37 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

USAID/Indonesia verify that Yayasan Project HOPE corrects the seven instances of material noncompliance detailed on pages 25 to 37 of the audit report.

1. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to revise policies and practices to ensure that future AI systems develop measurable objectives and system success criteria during project planning and ensure that such objectives trace to system specifications.

2. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to develop clear, specific, and measurable objectives and system success criteria for the CPC-related and patent search AI tools.

3. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to revise project management policies and practices to encourage increased engagement, as appropriate, with end users and others affected by the system, such as the public, earlier in the project lifecycle.

4. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to create an AI-specific risk management plan (or revise existing policies and procedures to reflect the same) that requires a system-specific risk management approach, including identifying, documenting, analyzing, and managing risks.

5. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to implement AI-specific risk management practices for the next-generation CPC AI tool and the patent search AI tool.

We recommend the Senior Vice President, Grid, update configuration management processes to improve periodic reviews.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should ensure that taxpayers without scheduled appointments are provided an opportunity to wait for an available TAC assistor on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should communicate clearer guidance to the public on the procedures for future extended weekday hours at the TACs, including that scheduled appointments take priority over walk-in customers.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should revise the IRM to require that TAC assistors use all available resources, including contacting their manager, or another assistor, before denying taxpayers service and advising them to use similar tools at home because the IRS assistor is not trained.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for providing CSS cards at TACs.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should Ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for wearing name tags at TACs.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services should ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for treating non-English speaking customers properly at TACs.

Charge First-Class Mail rates for Ballot Mail because service is comparable to or exceeds First-Class Mail service.

Assess options to charge for the premium service provided for late arriving Political Mail or clarify policy around delivery expectations for this mail.

Finalize electronic Election and Political Mail reporting tools, written expectations for their use, and user guides in advance of the next federal election season.

Use carrier data to prohibit managers from completing the delivery all clear certification before carriers leave and arrive back from their delivery duties.

Work with District Managers to develop a plan to identify hub and spoke locations, including Regional Transportation Optimization sites, and communicate operational expectations in advance of the extraordinary measures period.

Consider additional incentives for using serialized Intelligent Mail barcodes and service type identifiers for mail service providers that mail ballots.

Create a method for scanning local turnaround ballots at delivery units.

Implement specific training for Ballot Mail service providers tailored to reducing common service performance exclusions.

Set specific exclusion thresholds for Ballot Mail.