Open Recommendations

OIG recommends that Embassy Lima, Peru, develop and implement a documented nationalization plan with clear goals and attainable objectives for the aviation program.

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should finalize a service level agreement clarifying the Bureau of Administration's responsibilities for grants support.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (a) analyze all contracts for which it assigns Contracting Officer’s Representatives and Government Technical Monitors and determine the appropriate level of Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representatives, the technical expertise, and other qualifications required; (b) document the analysis and determinations; (c) and provide the determinations to the Contracting Officers assigned to those contracts.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs compare Contracting Officer’s Representative and Government Technical Monitor nominee qualifications to the analysis conducted for the Bureau’s contracts as noted in Recommendation 1 and only nominate those with the necessary technical expertise and level of Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representatives to oversee the contract and hold contractors accountable for quality and cost performance in accordance with contract terms.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs discontinue the practice of nominating Contracting Officer’s Representatives and Government Technical Monitors who do not meet Level III Federal Acquisition Certification for Contracting Officer’s Representatives and technical expertise requirements for its contracts or obtain a temporary waiver from the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, as required by Procurement Information Bulletin No. 2012-15.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (1) identify industry best practices for automating commissioning documentation, (2) develop an electronic commissioning platform, and (3) conduct a pilot program using the electronic platform that would allow commissioning tests to be created digitally and test results saved to an online repository.

Develop and implement a process to include compensating controls to_x000D_mitigate risk when accepting the risk of known vulnerabilities.

Document and implement a process to verify that laptops are encrypted and remediate instances of nonencrypted laptops.

Document and implement a strategy, policy, and procedures to manage supply chain risks with suppliers, contractors, and systems.

Update the agency’s policies and procedures to reflect security controls identified in National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5.

Implement level 2 event logging requirements in accordance with Office of Management and Budget memorandum M-21-31.

We recommend that the USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, USAID/Bangladesh, USAID/Burma, and USAID Bureau for Asia take the following actions:_x000D_4. USAID/Bureau for Asia, as the geographic bureau responsible for the missions in Bangladesh and Burma, coordinate with USAID/Bangladesh, USAID/Burma, and the USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and assess the need to develop and communicate an overall Agency strategy for the Rohingya crisis response with clearly defined end goals, specific and measurable outcomes, clear roles and responsibilities, and a roadmap for achieving those goals.

We recommend that the Office of Acquisition and Assistance take the following actions: Review the approval process of administrative guidance to implementers and make appropriate changes to streamline it for use in crisis scenarios, for example, by clarifying the role of each reviewer.

Determine the allowability of the questioned costs of $34,805 ($34,368 ineligible and $437 unsupported), on pages 10-12 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

Correct the six material weaknesses in internal control disclosed on page 17 of the audit report.

We recommend that IAF’s chief information officer develop and implement a plan, including tools and other resources, to remediate critical and high vulnerabilities within the timeframes specified in the agency’s “Information System Security Program Standard Operating Procedures” (February 2022).

We recommend that IAF’s chief information officer update the agency’s system security plan to include controls in National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53, Revision 5, “Security and Privacy Controls for Information Systems and Organizations.”

We recommend that MCC’s Chief Information Officer take the following action:_x000D_Recommendation 1. Implement level 3 event logging requirements in accordance with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-21-31.

Develop and implement standard operating procedures to identify and calculate reliable drug control-related obligations.

Develop and implement a methodology that can be applied to data in NHTSA’s financial system to track drug control-related obligations, by budget decision unit and drug control function.

Develop a budget formulation methodology that provides a reasonable basis for consistent estimation of NHTSA’s drug control budget that fairly quantifies its financial commitment to drug control activities and provides the methodology to the Office of National Drug Control Policy for approval.

We recommend that USAID's Chief Information Officer request its_x000D_cognizant Management Council on Risk and Internal Control to report and track as a significant deficiency to the Agency the risk of not timely disabling network accounts for separated employees and contractors, as identified in Office of Inspector General Report No. A-000-21-004-C, Recommendation 2.

We recommend that USAID's Chief Human Capital Officer request its_x000D_cognizant Management Council on Risk and Internal Control to report and track as a significant deficiency to the Agency the risk of not maintaining records evidencing that staff have been offboarded in accordance with Agency policy, as identified in Office of Inspector General Report_x000D_No. A-000-21-004-C, Recommendation 3.

Embassy Bucharest should implement a coordination process for the oversight of foreign assistance programming in Romania in accordance with Department guidelines.

Embassy Bucharest should comply with Department standards for the use of public diplomacy-funded resources.