U.S. Agency for International Development Management Challenges
FY 2007 Department of State/USAID Joint Highlights
Bureau of Resource Management
February 2008
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Below is a summary of a statement prepared by USAID?s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) that outlines what the OIG considers the most serious management and performance challenges facing the Agency. A summary of the issues, actions taken in 2007, and the actions remaining are presented for each area of concern. USAID aggressively pursues corrective actions for all significant challenges, whether identified by the OIG, Government Accountability Office, or other sources. For additional information, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/policy/afr07/.
| Action Taken | USAID prepared a quarterly reconciliation of its Phoenix Accruals System and documented and resolved all differences. The Agency implemented a new web-based training course for all current Cognizant Technical Officers (CTOs) and updated its mandatory Accruals training course. |
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| Actions Remaining | The quarterly report will be reviewed for one more accrual cycle. Target completion date: February 29, 2008. |
| Action Taken | USAID issued its Operational Plan Guidance for 2007 and trained 1,000 employees on the new requirements. The Agency worked closely with the Department and OMB to improve planning and coordination of the Performance Improvement scorecard, and developed an operating expense integration plan for the 2009 budget submission. |
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| Actions Remaining | All actions completed. |
| Action Taken | USAID highlighted the importance of Data Quality Assessments (DQA) in its 2008 Operational Plan Guidance. The guidance reiterates policies and procedures that ensure performance data is complete, accurate, and as consistent as resources permit. The guidance requires DQAs for all performance data reported to Washington at least every three years. |
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| Actions Remaining | All actions completed. |
| Action Taken | USAID completed its second competition under the competitive sourcing initiative of Directives and Records Management functions. The competition was won by the in-house Most Efficient Organization (MEO) and is expected to save USAID $795,000 over the next five years. In June, the Business Transformation Executive Committee approved a revised competitive sourcing strategy that focuses on agency-wide functions and examines a wide range of outsourcing, insourcing, and contract restructuring options to increase efficiency. The first feasibility study based on the revised strategy is the Washington-based Administrative Support Services. |
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| Actions Remaining | Target completion date: Achieved ?yellow? status in Competitive Sourcing in the first quarter of 2008. |
| Action Taken | USAID piloted a new automated contract writing system and launched contracting and assistance templates to standardize solicitations for contracts and grants. A web-based reporting system for contracts and grants was implemented to replace outmoded systems. The Contract Review Board published findings and best practices. |
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| Actions Remaining | Additional staff is needed to support programs for AIDS, Iraq, Afghanistan, other critical initiatives and to replace retiring staff. Further progress depends on availability of additional financial resources. Target completion date: September 30, 2009. |
| Action Taken | USAID made final decisions on restructuring the field and studied how to best structure Washington. The Agency continued to update and refine the Workforce Planning Model (WPM) to reflect the new organizational structures and business model. |
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| Actions Remaining | Complete Washington analysis and refine WPM to more accurately project personnel requirements and refine WPM?s budget tool to more accurately estimate Operating Expense costs. Target completion date: June 30, 2008. |
| Action Taken | USAID rolled out the new Learning Management System (LMS) in Washington, began work on its competency management module and conducted the first Agency Human Capital Survey and self-audit covering talent management. |
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| Actions Remaining |
Activate the LMS competency management module, the succession planning component, and work to add the Skills Inventory feature. Target completion date: March 31, 2008. Conduct gap analysis based on restructuring and create draft plan for closing selected quantitative skills gaps. Target completion date: September 30, 2008. |
| Action Taken | USAID discussed with the Department of State the integration of State?s intranet and other USAID infrastructure requirements and the associated costs. USAID also pursued an independent IT Strategic Plan, which will share similar objectives but will be focused on USAID?s unique challenges and needs. An initial draft plan has been developed and reviewed. |
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| Actions Remaining | Complete the Final IT Strategic Plan 2007-2012. Target completion date: February 29, 2008. |
| Action Taken | To comply with federal legislation and industry best practices, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) began documenting services provided and the functional responsibilities of each OCIO division. The IT Steering Subcommittee to BTEC was chartered to make recommendations on Agency IT governance and services. |
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| Actions Remaining | Finalize the ?IT Governance Manual.? Target completion date: February 29, 2008. Train IT Project Managers on the Manual. Target completion date: March 28, 2008. |
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