Open Recommendations

Embassy Kuwait City should bring its contracting officer’s representative program into compliance with Department standards.

Embassy Kuwait City should comply with the Department’s model standard lease and pay residential utility bills based on actual expenses.

Embassy Kuwait City, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should conduct a technical review of the design plans for the two structures used as facility management workshops and breakrooms and a bodyguard breakroom and submit the survey for approval, in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Kuwait City should perform monthly testing of its emergency lighting system, in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Kuwait City should perform all information systems security officer responsibilities in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Kuwait City should complete its ultra-high frequency point-to-point radio communication project to upgrade the radio network.

Provide guidance to acquisition planning team members, including EOIR OIT and contracting officials, on how to apply the best practices outlined in OMB's January 2021 memorandum on Procurement Administrative Lead Times for all procurement vehicles. Such guidance should incorporate an oversight framework by which JMD PSS and EOIR contracting officials adopt practices that will help them to monitor and reduce the time between the initial contract action solicitation and award dates.

Conduct a comprehensive review of the facilities that addresses ongoing and projected technical issues and assesses the plants’ capacities and capabilities to convert the DUF6 inventory well into the future, which includes determining an optimal conversion rate at which the plants can operate safely and reliably.

We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health: update guidance or policy to include supervisory review of inspection files to ensure they contain adequate support for the reasons regarding citation issuance decisions before closing inspections.

We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health: develop a plan for a future pandemic or epidemic to collaborate with external agencies on worksite case data and to use this data to maximize rapid response and enforcement actions in worksites.

We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health: as part of OSHA's rulemaking on infectious diseases, require employers to notify all employees of all known positive cases at the worksite.

We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health: develop and implement a tracking tool to ensure OSHA receives and reviews all items CSHOs request during inspections to ensure alleged hazards have been mitigated.

CDC should update its guidance recommending protections for personnel interacting with potentially infected passengers, particularly when data are limited.

CDC should ensure that its PPE trainings meet OSHA standards.

CDC should develop a comprehensive plan for recommending travel-related containment measures that weighs the risks relative to the public health benefits.

Resolve the $209,767 in questioned unsupported Award Cash Management $ervice drawdowns for which CRA has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct CRA to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its awards.

Direct CRA to provide documentation that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $52,742 in unreturned credits for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Resolve the $24,051 in questioned workshop meal expenses for which CRA has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct CRA to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its awards.

Direct CRA to provide documentation supporting that it has reimbursed or otherwise credited the $1,479 in questioned participant meal expenses for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Direct CRA to provide documentation supporting that it has reimbursed or otherwise credited the $991 in questioned travel expenses for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Resolve the $1,928 in questioned travel and conference expenses for which CRA has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct CRA to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its awards.

Direct CRA to provide documentation supporting that it has reimbursed or otherwise credited the $7,010 in questioned alcohol, travel, flight upgrades, meal, and indirect expenses for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Perform a complete agency-wide fraud risk assessment (which incorporates the fraud risk assessments performed at the program level) and use the results to develop and implement an agency-wide plan to move HUD's fraud risk management program out of the ad hoc phase. Status

Develop and implement a strategy for collecting and analyzing agency-wide data, to include subrecipient and beneficiary data, to identify trends and potential indicators of fraud across programs.

Embassy Ottawa should include all required documents in its public diplomacy grants files in accordance with Department standards.