Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations of the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei. The inspection included the Kaohsiung Branch Office.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 18 recommendations: 16 to the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, 1 to the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters, and 1 to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with 17 recommendations and partially concurred with 1 recommendation. OIG considers all 18 recommendations resolved. The Department’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The Department’s formal response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.
What OIG Found
- The Director and Deputy Director led the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei and the Kaohsiung Branch Office in a professional and collaborative manner consistent with Department of State leadership and management principles.
- The American Center in the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei did not meet standards for the number of required programs per month.
- American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei used an inefficient payroll process that produced inaccurate data despite a 2022 action memo from the Under Secretary for Management approving a streamlined process.
- Spotlight on Success: American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei’s Information Management staff developed a Front Office task tracker, accessible from a desktop or mobile device, to assign and monitor tasks in real time.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Office of Policy, Planning and Resources of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, should require the Public Diplomacy Section to fully implement the Public Diplomacy Staffing Initiative.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should require all grants officers and grants officer representatives to follow existing grants administration standard operating procedures.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, should implement a plan for the American Center to conform to the bureau’s American Spaces standards.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should comply with Department guidance on passport adjudication.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should resolve passport services in accordance with Department guidance.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should manage its immigrant visa records in accordance with Department guidance.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should complete required visa validation studies, in accordance with Department guidelines.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters, should implement a process to formally request and document approvals for exceptions to Department policy, as required by the contract.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should revise its motor vehicle policy to comply with Department standards on other authorized use of official vehicles.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should enforce driver safety requirements for all chauffeurs and incidental operators under chief of mission authority in accordance with Department guidelines.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should evaluate all residential properties for seismic risk in accordance with Department standards.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should conduct the required annual review of the Japanese Guesthouse property to determine whether the property is economical to retain and if continued U.S. government ownership of the property is justified considering its current use.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should administer its facility management expendable supplies in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in coordination with the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters, the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, and the Bureau of Global Talent Management, should establish a working group to develop streamlined payroll processes that also automate the change in duty station of U.S. direct-hire staff when they transfer out of Taiwan.
The American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters should update or negotiate new memoranda of agreement with all federal agencies on Taiwan in accordance with the contract.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Global Talent Management, should bring its local compensation plan into compliance with Taiwan labor laws.
The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should implement a records management program that complies with Department standards.