Open Recommendations

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement standard operating procedures to monitor and verify contractor compliance with provisions for accepting receipt, maintaining control, and accounting for the use of Government-furnished materials.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement standard operating procedures for managing and monitoring expendable supplies. This should include defining (1) the types of data that should be used by supply managers to inform decisions about ordering new supplies, (2) the respective responsibilities of other sections to collaborate on efforts to identify frequently used or critical items that may need to be ordered on a regular basis, and (3) the requirement to conduct regular reviews of existing stock to identify old or unused items for disposal.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, reinforce the requirement, through actions such as training for Facility Management Office staff and approving officials, to explain why an item is urgently needed on petty cash request forms.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement a process to regularly review a sample of approved petty cash voucher packages to determine whether they were approved and processed in accordance with post policy and take actions where necessary to correct instances that do not comply.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, execute its plan to move frequently used expendable supplies to existing warehouse locations that are closer to the place where they will be used in order to reduce the need for petty cash requests.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, conduct a workforce analysis of the Facility Management Office to inform staffing needs and to determine if the current amount of overtime used is appropriate.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, using the results of a workforce analysis, develop and communicate guidance on the types of tasks or circumstances that would generally require the use of overtime among Facility Management Office staff.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, reinforce the requirement, through actions such as training for Facility Management Office staff and approving officials, to include a justification on overtime on request forms in accordance with 3 Foreign Affairs Manual, 7550, “Premium Compensation,” which states that overtime should only be approved as an emergency measure or to meet a temporary crisis.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement a process to regularly review a sample of approved overtime forms to determine whether they were approved and processed in accordance with post policy and take actions necessary to correct instances that do not comply.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement a standard operating procedure outlining the minimum type of work that should be performed for each make-ready project and the conditions that should be considered before completing additional work or if further approval is required before completing the work.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, in collaboration with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), develop and implement a standard operating procedure describing the steps for completing and entering work orders in the Global Maintenance Management System (GMMS), including identifying the minimum types of information and level of detail that must be recorded in each work order.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement standard operating procedures that include a process for conducting periodic spot checks of information recorded in the Global Maintenance Management System (GMMS) to verify that the information recorded is reasonable, complete and in compliance with established standards as outlined in Recommendation 12.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, develop and implement a standard operating procedure for the Procurement and Contracting Section that outlines steps to be taken when procuring goods and services, including determining price reasonableness, completing pre-award reviews and checklists, and adhering to e-Filing requirements for storing documentation associated with purchase card transactions.

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, establish procedures to ensure compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.505(b)(1)(ii)(E) which states that cost should be considered as one of the selection factors when making decisions about awarding task orders for make-ready and other services below the micro-purchase threshold.

OIG recommends that Embassy Cairo, Egypt, discontinue the practice of using carryover funds for make-ready projects, and that it accounts for supplies, tools, and equipment used in support of its make-ready projects under the make-ready sub-cost center, consistent with the guidance outlined in 6 Foreign Affairs Handbook-5 H-341.15-11(B), Residential Make-Ready " Budgeted Costs.

OIG recommends that senior leaders in the Management Section at U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, work with U.S. direct-hire supervisors to (1) take additional steps to foster constructive relationships in accordance with 3 Foreign Affairs Manual 1214, “Leadership and Management Principles for Department Employees” by messaging the importance of teamwork, community, and open dialogue, and (2) remind employees of the Department prohibition against retaliation for disclosing wrongdoing in accordance with 3 Foreign Affairs Manual 4329, “Limitations on Use of Disciplinary Action.”

OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Cairo, Egypt, collaborate with the Foreign Service Institute to identify additional resources and support to address issues impacting collaboration, morale, and interpersonal relationships in the Management Section at post.

Develop requirements for acquiring the necessary staff and technology resources for managing records scheduling, disposition, access, and storage

Embassy Luxembourg should update its public-private partnership with the University of Luxembourg.

Embassy Luxembourg, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.

OIG recommends that the Global Engagement Center review all active cooperative agreements and grants to verify whether the award provisions comply with Office of Management and Budget Policy Letter 11-01 requirements regarding inherently Governmental functions and U.S. Federal employee decision-making authority over all programmatic aspects of the awards and, for those that do not, revise the award provisions to comply with those requirements.

OIG recommends that the Global Engagement Center review the assigned roles, authorities, and responsibilities of its award management team members (Federal employees and third-party contractors) to determine (a) authorities and responsibilities that are inherently Governmental functions and (b) whether those authorities and responsibilities are assigned to or performed by team members who are not Federal employees or Personal Service Contractors, as appropriate.

OIG recommends that the Global Engagement Center transfer to Federal employees or Personal Service Contractors, as appropriate, those authorities and responsibilities found to be inherently Governmental functions that are currently assigned to third-party contractors (as determined by the review in Recommendation 3).

OIG recommends that the Global Engagement Center develop and implement a process to verify that inherently Governmental functions are only assigned to and performed by Federal employees or Personal Service Contractors, as appropriate.

OIG recommends that the Global Engagement Center (GEC) develop and implement a process to formally notify GEC award management personnel and award recipients of all roles, authorities, and responsibilities that are inherently Governmental and are only to be assigned to and performed by Federal employees and Personal Services Contractors, as appropriate. The notification process should highlight all revisions to previous guidance and practice, beginning with the revisions to GEC’s Policies and Procedures Manual (Version 1.6, December 2020) following the implementation of Recommendations 1 through 6.