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Department of State
U.S. Agency for Global Media
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, should comply with Department standards for end use monitoring of defense articles.
Embassy Bogota should comply with Department standards related to contracting officer’s representative contract file documentation for contracts administered by the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section.
Embassy Bogota should comply with Department standards for Federal assistance award file documentation for awards administered by the embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Section.
Embassy Bogota should comply with Department standards for the use of public diplomacy funds.
Embassy Bogota should document public diplomacy grants in accordance with the Federal Assistance Directive.
Embassy Bogota should align the supervisory structure in the Public Diplomacy Section in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should eliminate the requirement that adjudicators complete a specific number of visa interviews per hour and focus training on developing appropriate decision-making skills and visa security.
Embassy Bogota should use the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ management framework to align operations with Department standards and U.S. Government objectives.
Embassy Bogota should conform to the terms of the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ contractor’s task order requiring applicants to submit general visa inquiries to the contractor in order to appropriately employ staff expertise and put funds of approximately $65,200 to better use.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs, in coordination with Embassy Bogota, should complete its review of fee collections and reconciliations in Colombia to determine and correct the cause of the shortfall in nonimmigrant visa application fees.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should implement a corrective action plan to reduce the number of embassy motor vehicle mishaps.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should require all agencies under chief of mission authority to comply with Department standards for reporting motor vehicle mishaps.
Embassy Bogota should complete its fleet reports in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should comply with applicable Department overseas motor vehicle safety requirements for chauffeurs and incidental drivers under chief of mission authority.
Embassy Bogota should document future property disposals in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should use the Integrated Logistics Management System for all expendable supplies in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should assign separate receiving and property record keeping clerks for its bulk fuel operation and designate those duties in writing, in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should close out procurement files in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should conduct its annual 2018 review of its blanket purchase agreements, in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should submit the hotel and restaurant reports for its outdated foreign per diem locations to the Bureau of Administration’s Office of Allowances, in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Bogota should submit the required retail price surveys to the Office of Allowances in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Bogota should submit all required hardship differential surveys to the Office of Allowances, in accordance with Department guidelines.
Embassy Bogota should comply with Department guidelines for completion of post reports.
Embassy Bogota should reconcile transactions in the Suspense Deposit Abroad account in accordance with Department guidelines and put funds of $39,957 to better use.
Embassy Bogota should clear overdue travel advances in accordance with Department guidelines and put funds up to $1,451,820 to better use.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, should reprogram additional Diplomatic and Consular Program-funded Information Management positions to International Cooperative Administrative Support Services-funded positions in order to put funds of $81,331 per position to better use.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should bring Embassy Branch Office Cartagena’s safety, health, and environmental management program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should implement an action plan to resolve the mission’s fire protection deficiencies and bring the program into full compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should remove the KACTUS database from the dedicated internet network and conduct a risk assessment based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Risk Management Framework.
Embassy Bogota, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, should relocate the telecommunications demarcation point outside the limited access communications rooms.
Embassy Bogota should require that Information Systems Security Officers perform information systems security duties in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should implement standard operating procedures to manage its Active Directory groups for its classified and unclassified networks in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should implement procedures to control access to Embassy Branch Office Cartagena’s mail room in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should maintain its local Information Technology Configuration Control Board in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should inventory its databases and submit appropriate security documentation for databases containing personally identifiable information to the Bureau of Information Resource Management for an authorization decision.
Embassy Bogota should implement a patch management process for locally approved software operating on its networks, in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Bogota should implement standard operating procedures for knowledge management that outline how it will capture, share, transfer, and retain information related to its information management programs.
Embassy Bogota should conduct initial and annual refresher information technology contingency training for employees with information technology contingency planning responsibilities.
Embassy Bogota should test the information technology contingency plans for unclassified and classified networks in accordance with Department standards.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should implement a formal system to solicit, clear, and document information required for efficient executive decision making.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media, in coordination with the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, should develop a clear policy and accompanying standard operating procedures to meet its statutory requirement to present U.S. policy on Voice of America through editorials and other means.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should update policies and procedures in its Broadcasting Administrative Manual.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should enforce its personnel policy for timely completion of annual performance reviews.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should implement a policy to enforce compliance with mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity and Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation training.
OIG recommends that the Office of Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (NDF) develop, document, and implement procedures for NDF finance officers and project managers to regularly monitor overseas post obligations and any other external obligations on behalf of NDF. At a minimum, the procedures should include a requirement for NDF to periodically communicate with overseas posts and external offices to obtain the status of the obligation and anticipated expenditures as well as verification that funds are no longer needed prior to action to deobligate the funds.
OIG recommends that the Office of Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (NDF) develop and implement a policy related to contract closeout in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, in which NDF documents the closeout of a contract upon the signature of the contract closeout package by the Contract Officer (CO) administering the contract. Additional closeout procedures performed by the Contract Closeout Team subsequent to the approval of the contract closeout package by the CO, such as quality assurance reviews, should be performed separate and independent of the CO’s contract closeout procedures.
OIG recommends that the Office of Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund develop and implement a process to discuss and document the status of each open contract during the weekly meeting between the Contracting Officer and Contracting Officer’s Representatives.
Embassy Kigali should bring the public diplomacy grants program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Kigali should verify and document that grant recipient American Corner at the Adventist University of Central Africa in Kigali was eligible to receive $79,295 in public diplomacy funds and that the funds were used for the intended purpose. If the recipient is deemed ineligible or funds were not used for the intended purpose, Embassy Kigali should recover the funds in accordance with the grant agreement.
Embassy Kigali should stop paying the salary of the American Corner coordinator at the Adventist University of Central Africa in Kigali, seek reimbursement from the grantee, and put funds of up to $36,000 to better use.
Embassy Kigali should comply with Department standards for management of the American Corner at the Adventist University of Central Africa in Kigali.
Embassy Kigali should use property grants to document all property transferred by the Public Diplomacy Section to the American Corners in Kigali and Rubavu.
Embassy Kigali should implement a consular crisis preparedness program in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Kigali, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should implement a corrective action plan to bring the residential safety program into compliance with Department standards.
Embassy Kigali should implement standard operating procedures to archive or dispose of documentary materials in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Kigali should require that Information Systems Security Officers perform information systems security duties in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Kigali, in coordination with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should review high-frequency radio coverage at the embassy’s alternate command center and remedy reception coverage problems.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration develop and implement a process to confirm that GOAL and Norwegian Refugee Council have put in place internal controls, per 2 C.F.R. Part 200, to prevent unsupported and unallowable expenditures on their respective cooperative agreements.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration develop and implement procedures for Grants Officers and Grants Officer Representatives to randomly select specific expenditures for review and request that recipients submit documentation related to those specific expenditures.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration develop and implement procedures for Grants Officers and Grants Officer Representatives to verify that all award recipients comply with approved budget plans and obtain permission to deviate from approved budget plans.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration clarify and reissue policy guidance in the Department of State Worldwide Purchase Card Program Manual to describe specifically when purchase cards may be used to pay for “light refreshments” at restaurants and caterers.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration establish a process to periodically remind program participants of the importance of managing records and performing reconciliations as required by the Department of State Worldwide Purchase Card Program Manual.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration clarify and reissue policy guidance in the Department of State Worldwide Purchase Card Program Manual to identify the required frequency of “refresher training” for program participants.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration compare all policy guidance for the Purchase Card Program as promulgated in the Department of State Worldwide Purchase Card Program Manual with the requirements set forth in the Foreign Affairs Manual to ensure consistency between these documents.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration establish a process to remind purchase card approving officials and bureau or post Program Coordinators to complete, certify, and submit the Purchase Card Program Annual Reviews in a timely manner, as required by the Department of State Worldwide Purchase Card Program Manual.
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The Bureau of Human Resources should adopt a policy requiring consultation with the Office of the Legal Adviser when Schedule B hiring requests have characteristics similar to the examples described in this report to ensure all appointments comply with OPM regulations and relevant policies.
The Bureau of Human Resources, in conjunction with the Office of the Legal Adviser, should amend the Department's Schedule B Policy, Number 07-09A, to clarify the circumstances, if any, in which it would be appropriate to appoint current career employees or contractor employees to Schedule B positions.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing update its license application review standard operating procedures to provide uniform guidance to Licensing Officers for their review of export license applications.
OIG recommends that, once its license application review standard operating procedures have been updated (Recommendation 1), the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing (a) train all Licensing Officers in the new procedures and (b) develop and implement an annual refresher training program for its Licensing Officers on the procedures.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing develop and implement a process to annually review and update its license application review standard operating procedures.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing (a) determine the capacity of its Licensing Officers to meet the license application workload, (b) establish the appropriate Licensing Officer staffing level needed to meet that workload, and (c) develop and implement an action plan to attain the established Licensing Officer staffing level and related resources needed to be successful.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing develop and implement a “second signature” process for licenses in all Divisions to segregate duties and reduce the risk of errors.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing develop and implement a process to assign Licensing Officers license applications that correspond with their levels of authority.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing establish a central repository to document Licensing Officers’ signature authority.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing develop and implement controls for license applications that are referred to other Department bureaus and offices, as required.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Licensing develop and implement a process to document, keep current, and communicate referral guidance to all Licensing Officers.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy (a) establish and maintain a database of all current Blue Lantern Officers, their expected arrival and departure dates from assigned posts, and the date when they received Blue Lantern Program training and (b) develop and implement a process to notify posts when a Blue Lantern Officer will be departing in order to begin the reassignment process.
OIG recommends that the Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy develop and implement a training program for new Blue Lantern Officers.
The Office of Policy, Planning and Resources, in coordination with the Bureau of Public Affairs and the Bureau of International Information Programs, should clarify the distinction in the Foreign Affairs Manual between personal and official social media postings and give examples of each type.
The Office of Policy, Planning and Resources should issue periodic, regular notices to Department employees to remind them of the Department’s policies regarding the use of personal social media accounts.
The Office of Policy, Planning and Resources, in coordination with the Bureau of Public Affairs and the Bureau of International Information Programs, should review the personal Twitter accounts of ambassadors and other senior Department officials and take appropriate action to remedy any violations of Department policy.
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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.
