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Department of State
U.S. Agency for Global Media
The Voice of America, in coordination with Embassy Cairo, should redesignate the Cairo news bureau Principal A Cashier as an embassy subcashier and allow Embassy Cairo to oversee its cashiering operations.
The Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, in conjunction with the Bureau of Human Resources, should ensure that its new payroll systems have the ability to collect information regarding the justification for why administrative leave is granted.
The Bureau of Human Resources, in conjunction with the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, should identify and remedy the causes of the discrepancy with its administrative leave records.
Embassy Port of Spain should develop a structured professional development and mentoring program for First-and Second-Tour employees and issue it in an embassy Management Policy.
Embassy Port of Spain should require that employees comply with Department guidance and preserve official correspondence by using the record email system.
Embassy Port of Spain should implement a standardized filing system that complies with Department standards for records management.
Embassy Port of Spain, in coordination with the Bureau of International Information Programs, should develop a strategy to repurpose the Information Resource Center and to reassign the locally employed staff to duties that support program priorities.
Embassy Port of Spain should develop grants monitoring plans to include who is responsible for monitoring activities under the grant.
Embassy Port of Spain should implement standard operating procedures to comply with Department standards for processing non-immigrant visa referral cases.
Embassy Port of Spain should inspect fire extinguishers in all embassy offices and residences and replace those that do not comply with Department standards.
Embassy Port of Spain should relocate the information management officer to non-controlled access area in the chancery to facilitate closer oversight of the local employee staff.
Embassy Port of Spain, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, should update cabling infrastructure in the embassy chancery and annexes to comply with Department standards.
Embassy Port of Spain should update and test the IT contingency plans for the classified and unclassified computer networks annually or when systems change, and train personnel based on their contingency planning roles and responsibilities on an annual basis.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should require the Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate to implement a policy to provide annual Management Control Assurance Process statements.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should implement a policy to solicit customer feedback from recipients of Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis threat assessments.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should provide clear guidance for use of the Law Enforcement Sensitive designation and create a standard operating procedure for reviewing and redacting information designated Law Enforcement Sensitive.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should implement a mechanism to track and enforce mandatory training for employees of the Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security should establish a policy to regularly update content on all Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate websites.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services develop, implement, and publish policies in the Foreign Affairs Manual and/or Foreign Affairs Handbook governing cash advances on Department-issued travel cards, specifically regarding the timing and dollar value of cash advances that may be obtained.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services develop and implement a policy to annually review and update its transaction blocking by merchant category code template to ensure that it is complete and accurate.
OIG recommends that the Office of the Director General for Human Resources, in conjunction with the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, develop and implement administrative and disciplinary procedures related to the Travel Card Program to include misuse, non-usage, and abuse.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services establish controls to identify Department employees eligible to receive a travel card who travel more than two times in a 12-month period and verify that they obtain and use a Department-issued travel card for all official travel-related expenses.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services develop and implement split disbursement procedures as required by the Office of Management and Budget for all Department-issued travel card holders.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services update its policy regarding employees’ remittance of the travel charge card to require that Agency/Organization Program Coordinators obtain separating employees’ travel charge cards whenever possible.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services update its Travel Card Management Plan to include provisions and procedures for account suspension and/or closure for employees who are placed on administrative leave for conduct issues.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and disseminate guidance to all Department of State (Department) bureaus and offices regarding how the bureaus should meet their responsibilities outlined in the Foreign Affairs Manual for monitoring and enforcing the mandatory classification training requirements for all Department employees. The guidance should specify, at a minimum, how the bureaus should identify their staff members who require classification training to comply with Executive Order 13526, when each bureau’s initial list of individuals who must take the required training is due to the Bureau of Administration, and how often the lists need to be updated. The guidance should also specify the procedures that each bureau must follow to sanction security-cleared individuals who do not take the required training.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, develop and disseminate guidance to Department of State bureaus and offices that describes when a security-cleared contractor must take classification training required by Executive Order 13526, who will pay for the training, and how the suspension of classification authority will apply to security-cleared contractors who do not complete the required training.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Information Resource Management develop and implement a control within the Classified State Messaging Archive and Retrieval Toolset that allows only individuals who occupy positions that have been designated as original classification authority to identify themselves as such when making original classification decisions.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Information Resource Management develop and implement corrective actions to prevent the Classified State Messaging Archive and Retrieval Toolset from being uninstalled or, if the software becomes uninstalled, that the Bureau of Information Resource Management be notified that the software needs to be reinstalled.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and implement a process to formally request and obtain, from all bureaus and offices within the Department of State, annual reports of all classification decisions made to facilitate compliance with Executive Order 13526 and with the inspection and reporting requirements contained in Title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 2001.60 and 2001.90.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration develop and disseminate guidance to all bureaus and offices regarding the creation and maintenance of repositories of classified documents to facilitate the count of classification decisions reported annually in the Agency Security Classification Management Program Data form and to facilitate the review of a representative sample of classified documents during each self-inspection.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Bureau of Human Resources, (a) conduct a staffing workload assessment of the Bureau of Administration, Office of Information Programs and Services, and (b) ensure that the office has, or will obtain, the adequate level of resources as determined by the assessment. The purpose of the assessment is to determine whether the Bureau of Administration has the appropriate level of resources necessary to establish and maintain an effective sustainable process for the development of the annual Agency Security Classification Management Program Data report and for sampling and reviewing classified documents required as part of a self-inspection under Executive Order 13526.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Administration, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Management, develop and implement a standard operating procedure for periodically reviewing and updating the lists of positions in which personnel are authorized to make original classification decisions to ensure that these lists are current and accurate.
Embassy Quito, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should correct deficiencies in Public Affairs Section grants.
Embassy Quito, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, should reallocate its resources to optimize Consulate General Guayaquil’s public affairs operations.
Embassy Quito, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should replace the automatic queuing system in Consulate General Guayaquil.
Embassy Quito should issue management directives explaining position classifications, the employee grievance process, and the employee termination process.
Embassy Quito should ensure that all necessary building maintenance engineering contracts are in place for Embassy Quito and Consulate General Guayaquil.
Embassy Quito should upload the missing required property records and documentation into the Real Property Application System.
Embassy Quito should implement a records management program that includes employee training on records management and the State Messaging and Archive Retrieval Toolset application and complies with Department standards
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs develop and implement a process to independently validate that all award recipients have adequate financial management controls in place, as prescribed by Office of Management and Budget Circular A-110.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs develop and implement a process to monitor award recipients’ financial activities, including reviewing the recipients’ financial policies and procedures, financial management controls, and supporting documentation for a selection of expenditures, during site visits to award recipients, as recommended by the Federal Assistance Policy Directive and the Federal Assistance Procedures Desk Guide.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (a) determine whether the $2.8 million in questioned costs identified in this report, and the $2.6 million statistically projected questioned costs, are allowable or supported; and (b) recover any costs determined to be unallowable or unsupported.
Consulate General Curacao, in coordination with the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Bureau of International Information Programs, should implement a social media strategy.
Consular Curacao should maintain control and accountability over the collection and handling of consular fees in accordance with Department guidelines and timetables.
Consulate General Curacao, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs and the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should create a secure work area for the Consular Section that complies with Department standards.
Consulate General Curacao should establish a comprehensive and prioritized training plan for locally employed staff members.
The Bureau of Human Resources should authorize a comprehensive salary and monetized benefits survey of comparator companies to evaluate the validity of Consulate General Curacao’s local compensation plan.
Consulate General Curacao should recruit and hire an employee to fulfill the duties outlined in the November 2012 approved position request.
Consulate General Curacao should establish standard operating procedures requiring the Class B Cashier to issue Form OF-158, General Receipt, to the Consular Section’s subcashier on the day of deposit of consular fees.
Consulate General Curacao, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should establish a memorandum of understanding outlining the duties and responsibilities for the Regional Facilities Manager.
Consulate General Curacao should implement a records management program that complies with Department regulations.
Embassy Belmopan should use record emails and provide relevant training to reporting officers.
Embassy Belmopan should conduct risk assessments and develop monitoring plans on federal grants awarded by its Public Affairs Section.
Embassy Belmopan should implement a policy regulating the use of government resources and embassy personnel for non-official events in accordance with Department standards.
Embassy Belmopan should conduct a cost-benefit analysis for the embassy accommodation exchange and implement the results.
The Bureau of Human Resources should respond to Embassy Belmopan’s requests for proposed changes to the local compensation plan.
Embassy Belmopan should maintain residential inventory files in accordance with Department standards.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management, in coordination with Embassy Belmopan, should upgrade the ClassNet local area network in accordance with the Global Information Technology Modernization Program design policies.
Embassy Belmopan should request approval for radio frequencies from the Government of Belize.
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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.
