Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
OIG evaluated executive direction, policy and program implementation, foreign assistance program management, resource management, and information management operations of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 28 recommendations to the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. In its comments on the draft report, the bureau concurred with 27 recommendations and disagreed with 1 recommendation. OIG considers all 28 recommendations resolved. The bureau’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The bureau’s formal response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.
What OIG Found
- Management control deficiencies hindered the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs’ ability to effectively plan, manage, and evaluate the results of its projects, programs, and operations.
- Bureau leadership set a positive tone at the top and generally acted in accordance with Department of State leadership and management principles.
- Department stakeholders and other federal agencies described the bureau as a collaborative partner and leader in the U.S. government’s efforts to counter illegal drugs, stop corruption, fight transnational organized crime, train and equip foreign law enforcement officials, and promote the rule of law.
- A bureau reorganization has yet to be fully implemented as envisioned, which limited some of its intended organizational efficiencies.
- Deficiencies in the bureau’s strategic approach resulted in limited evaluation planning and reduced program performance data.
- Foreign assistance programs lacked oversight documentation, program evaluation, and a bureau-level policy for risk management.
- The Executive Office lacked customer service standards and procedures that led to employee dissatisfaction and negatively affected bureau efficacy.
- Issues with records management procedures reduced the bureau’s ability to systematically access and share information.
- The bureau did not effectively monitor unliquidated obligations, which resulted in up to $220 million that could be put to better use.
- The bureau canceled its cloud migration project after 5 years and a total expenditure of at least $3.4 million due to a lack of internal information technology management controls and poor contractor oversight.
- The bureau did not follow the Department’s information technology project planning and system oversight and assessment procedures, which created vulnerabilities and wasted funds.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should require comprehensive use of the Department’s Management Controls Checklist to develop the Annual Chief of Mission Management Control Statement of Assurance to effectively identify and mitigate internal control risks to the bureau’s projects, programs, and operations in accordance with Department guidance.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should follow Department guidance with respect to the communication and execution of its ongoing reorganization plans.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should develop an implementation plan for its functional bureau strategy, in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement procedures for conducting regularly scheduled and senior leadership-led reviews of its progress in meeting strategic goals and objectives, in accordance with Department guidance.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assistance and the Bureau of Budget and Planning, should identify its major programs in accordance with Department guidance.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, in coordination with the Office of Foreign Assistance and the Bureau of Budget and Planning, should implement monitoring and evaluation plans for its major programs, in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should require that its risk assessment and monitoring plans related to continued programing in Afghanistan reflect changed conditions within the country.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement bureau-wide guidance to direct its long-term efforts to improve and coordinate the bureau’s design, monitoring, and evaluation activities.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should evaluate its long-term ongoing programs in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement mechanisms to centrally track information on domestically managed foreign assistance programs and provide financial and program reports to the bureau’s senior leadership on core program management responsibilities.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement a system to require joint evaluation reports be prepared according to the terms of its agreements with partner governments.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should develop a template for implementing mechanisms with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to improve planning, project monitoring and evaluations, and financial tracking and account reconciliations.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement standard operating procedures to provide oversight and accountability for interagency agreements and agreements with international organizations in accordance with Department requirements and bureau policies.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement procedures for the timely close out of all current and future agreements.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should update its standard operating procedures regarding monitoring of award implementation to provide oversight and accountability for maintaining records of its federal assistance awards, in accordance with the Federal Assistance Directive.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should close out federal assistance awards as required by the Federal Assistance Directive.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should complete and implement a bureau risk management policy.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should comply with Department contracting officer's representative program standards.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement written service standards for the services and support provided by the Executive Office and hold the Executive Office accountable for meeting the service standards.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement periodic reviews of bureau policies and procedures, update them as necessary, and maintain them in a central repository.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should review and deobligate all invalid unliquidated obligations in accordance with Department guidance so funds of up to $220 million can be put to better use.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement a standard project management lifecycle with a standard set of project controls for use in all information technology projects.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement a process for the Information Management Division to monitor contractor performance for all information technology projects.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should implement a process to notify its Information Management Division when new systems at its overseas locations are developed or deployed and ensure periodic review by staff.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should review and update its information system contingency plan for the Global INL network to align with bureau requirements.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should complete the assessment and authorization to operate process for the Office of Aviation web application.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should revise the charter for the Information Management Advisory Council to clearly define its scope and information management responsibilities.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs should develop and implement records management procedures for organizing and managing bureau electronic records.