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Department of State
U.S. Agency for Global Media
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The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons should implement an oversight process for managing its Federal assistance awards in accordance with Department standards.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons should implement written guidance clarifying roles and responsibilities for third-party contractors, in accordance with Department and Federal guidance.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons should implement standard operating procedures for its Resource Management and Planning processes.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons should require all contracting officer’s representatives to administer contracts in accordance with Department standards.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons should review its unliquidated obligations in accordance with Department standards and put up to $496,000 to better use.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement additional internal control procedures for monitoring to ensure that justifications and approvals for other than full and open competition are completed and approved in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements and Office of the Procurement Executive guidance and that reviewing officials verify that the justifications include all required content.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement internal controls to ensure Contracting Officers comply with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.305, Office of the Procurement Executive Procurement Implementation Bulletin 2014-11, and Office of Acquisitions Management Memorandum 16-16 regarding providing public notice of noncompetitive contracts and maintaining proof of public notice in contract files.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration (a) determine the feasibility, practicality, and cost-effectiveness of adding functions to the new online application being developed for justifications and approvals that will automatically transfer completed justifications to the electronic contract file and also post the justifications publicly in accordance with the Competition in Contracting Act and the Federal Acquisition Regulation and (b) if determined to be feasible, practical, and cost-effective, incorporate such a function in the application.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration issue guidance requiring that all contracting personnel use the newly created online application for justifications and approvals once the application has been tested and determined to meet the goals established by the Bureau of Administration.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration issue a directive to the Office of Acquisitions Management to update its Quality Assurance Plan to expand the steps necessary to ensure compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions regarding preparing fair and reasonable price determinations for noncompetitive awards. The steps should include requiring that Contracting Officers use the sample template for price negotiation memoranda and retain evidence of the analysis conducted in support of such determinations in the contract files.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement guidance directing all price negotiation memoranda-approving officials certify that price negotiation memoranda address all required elements in compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 15.406-3 before approving them.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration issue a directive to the Office of Acquisitions Management to update its Memorandum 15-09, “Contract File Documentation,” regarding price negotiation memoranda. The updated memorandum should include instructions for Contracting Officers to verify that all price negotiation memoranda packages are properly approved and placed in the contract file.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement additional internal control procedures for monitoring compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements and Department policy regarding determining and documenting fair and reasonable price determinations and maintaining complete contract files.
The Bureau of Administration should require that the Office of Overseas Schools implement standard operating procedures for key administrative processes.
The Bureau of Administration should require the Office of Overseas Schools to manage its Federal assistance awards in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration should require the Office of Overseas Schools to review its unliquidated obligations in accordance with Department guidelines and put up to $3.05 million in funds to better use.
The Bureau of Administration should require the Office of Overseas Schools to comply with the requirements of the annual Management Control Statement of Assurances.
The Bureau of Administration should require the Office of Overseas Schools to establish and implement a records management program in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration should review the Office of Overseas Schools’ unauthorized commitment to determine whether it should be ratified in accordance with Department standards.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs revise, reinforce, and train its personnel on the standard operating procedures and internal controls over the process of vetting potential award recipients for corruption, human rights violations, or illicit narcotics production or trafficking when using Economic Support Funds in accordance with Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act requirements beginning for Fiscal Year 2017.
OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, vet all active award recipients of Public Affairs Section awards funded by Economic Support Funds, including those identified in this report as not being vetted, for corruption, human rights violations, or illicit narcotics production or trafficking in accordance with the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriation Act requirements beginning for Fiscal Year 2017.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Office of Press and Public Diplomacy, develop and implement internal controls designed to enforce or verify Grants Officers’ and Grants Officer’s Representatives’ compliance with reviewing and documenting risks annually using the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive-developed risk assessment worksheet, as required by the Federal Assistance Directive.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs develop and implement internal controls designed to enforce or verify Grants Officers’ and Grants Officer’s Representatives’ compliance with mitigating measures for risks identified in the risk assessments, as required by the Federal Assistance Directive.
OIG recommends that U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, establish and document measures to mitigate programmatic and organizational risks identified in the risk assessments for future Public Affairs Section awards it administers, as required by the Federal Assistance Directive.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Budget and Planning and the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, determine the applicability of the Foreign Affairs Manual (18 FAM 301.4-4, “Evaluation,”) requirements to “large” awards that U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan, Public Affairs Section, administers. If determined to be applicable, they should implement a policy requiring the Embassy Kabul Public Affairs Section to comply with the requirements set forth in 18 FAM 301.4-4, “Evaluation.”
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, discontinue its practice of awarding noncompetitive contracts for Operations Maintenance Support Services and Baghdad Life Support Services. The bureau should award Mission Iraq-specific task orders under the Diplomatic Platform Support Services contract or use an alternative mechanism to competitively replace the Operations and Maintenance Support Services and Bagdad Life Support Services contracts.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE), in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation 7.104 “General procedures,” disseminate procedures that are described in Office of Acquisition Management Memorandum 15-10 to review acquisition plans with key stakeholders annually or whenever significant changes occur. OPE should also establish additional internal controls to ensure the procedures are followed, such as training personnel on the requirements and minimum documentation requirements for acquisition plan reviews.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, in accordance with Government Accountability Office Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, establish procedures to conduct regular monitoring of internal controls, respond to schedule risks, and engage in effective communication with the program office to identify and address noncompliance with Federal and Department of State criteria, timeliness, and external coordination.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, implement controls to (a) achieve critical acquisition deadlines on time, including checking the acquisition’s progress and assessing changes in the operating environment and (b) identify contracts that have missed critical deadlines, including Diplomatic Platform Support Services, for Department of State (Department) leadership to review and take action as necessary. Controls should ensure that the Department prioritizes timely acquisitions to achieve cost savings, economies of scale, and efficiencies.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Office of the Legal Adviser, review the $296,530,056 in questioned costs related to 29 noncompetitive contract actions to extend services on the Operations and Maintenance Support Services Contract, SAQMMA13D0120, between December 2018 and May 2021 to determine whether these costs were allowable. Specifically, the Office of the Legal Adviser should determine whether the justification to use the “unusual and compelling urgency” exception complies with the Competition in Contracting Act (41 U.S.C. §§ 3301, 3304) and the Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.1, “Full and Open Competition,” and 6.3, “Other than Full and Open Competition.” See Appendix B for an itemization of the costs.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Office of the Legal Adviser, review the $366,663,728 in questioned costs related to 36 noncompetitive contract actions to extend services on the Baghdad Life Support Services contract, SAQMMA12D0165, between October 2018 and May 2021 to determine whether these costs were allowable. Specifically, the Office of the Legal Adviser should determine whether the justification to use the “unusual and compelling urgency” exception complies with the Competition in Contracting Act (41 U.S.C. §§ 3301, 3304) and the Federal Acquisition Subpart 6.1, “Full and Open Competition” and 6.3, “Other than Full and Open Competition.” See Appendix C for an itemization of the costs.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive (OPE), strengthen its review and approval process and oversight of noncompetitive contract actions awarded, based on Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-2, “Unusual and compelling urgency,” related to circumstances permitting other than full and open competition. OPE should put in place controls to ensure those actions are not excessive, such as enforcement of time limitations on the duration of the use of these actions, and use appropriate rationales, which exclude lack of advanced planning. In addition, OPE should provide training, as appropriate, to officials in the review process to ensure controls are followed.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, Office of Acquisitions Management (AQM), in accordance with Government Accountability Office Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, strengthen internal controls related to improving cost-control measures for noncompetitive contract actions to extend services. The strengthened internal controls could include establishing and implementing procedures for a cost control monitoring system in which AQM performs ongoing monitoring and evaluation of price reasonableness determinations. Such strengthened internal controls should include, at a minimum, accountability for complying with Federal and Department of State requirements such as verifying that independent government cost estimates and certified cost or pricing data (or waivers) have been completed before contract award.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security implement modifications to the recently deployed Integrated Security and Suitability System that responds to all Office of the Director of National Intelligence quarterly and annual reporting requirements involving Timeliness Data and National Security Metrics.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and implement standard operating procedures that result in consistent and accurate reporting of Timeliness Data and National Security Metrics. The standard operating procedures at a minimum should include the methodology for identifying and exporting the data from the case management system and a process to verify that only relevant cases are included for quarterly and annual reporting to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (a) assign responsibilities to additional personnel for the collection and reporting of Timeliness Data and National Security Metrics and (b) require a secondary level of review prior to submitting the data reported to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs should implement project management processes for the Passport Services Directorate’s information technology modernization projects in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs should implement procedures to regularly update the content of the Passport Services Directorate’s SharePoint site.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs should implement a process to store the Passport Services Directorate’s archived advisory opinions, so they are easily searchable and retrievable in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration should implement a plan to establish objectives and internal guidance and procedures to routinely monitor bureau and overseas mission compliance with Department property management standards.
The Bureau of Administration should implement and disseminate formal guidance requiring Property Management Division approval and oversight of all business units in the Integrated Logistics Management System, in accordance with Department guidelines.
The Bureau of Administration should develop and implement internal controls for the review and validation of annual inventories, in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration should review and update standards governing bulk fuel stock accountability, in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Administration should require that the Property Management Division mandate the use of the Integrated Logistics Management System electronic scanners for overseas residential inventories.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should comply with Department and Federal contract management standards for contract 19AQMM20F2679.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should request a contract modification for SAQMMA17F3029 to clarify responsibility for providing Government-furnished equipment to contract staff.
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Note: The information includes all open recommendations from reports that were issued October 1, 2014. Potential Monetary Benefits values are as stated in reports—subsequent Department and USAGM management decisions and actions may result in different values.
