ADS 202.3.4.6 states that assistance objective teams must ensure that they have adequate official documentation on agreements used to implement USAID-funded projects, as well as on the resources expended, issues identified, and corrective actions taken.
Furthermore, ADS 202.3.6 states that monitoring the quality and timeliness of implementing partners’ outputs is a major task of cognizant technical officers (now referred to as “contracting officer’s technical representatives”) and assistance objective teams.
ADS specifies that problems in output quality provide an early warning that results may not be achieved as planned and that early action in response to problems is essential in managing for results. To assess the quality of partner data, USAID’s Performance Management Toolkit recommends periodically sampling and reviewing partner data to ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency, as well as determining whether the partner appropriately addressed known data quality problems.
The Toolkit also recommends developing a simple site-visit guide, covering all topics of interest, to be used systematically by teams visiting all sites.
General Recommendations
- Develop and implement a risk-based monitoring plan for activities that includes regular site visits involving programmatic review, verification of reported results, and the documentation of site visits performed.
Source: AUDIT REPORT NO. 4-674-10-005-P MAY 12, 2010
The recommendations are derived from audit reports of the Office of the Inspector General. The source refers to the audit report, which is available on this site as part of the Audit Database Project: an educational tool for compliance with USAID regulations. Please see the disclaimer of this site before using recommendations.
- Indicators to Measure Higher Level Results - ADS 203.3
- Program’s Indicators, Targets and Goals Should Be Revisited - ADS 203
- Reported Results Did Not Meet Data Quality Standards - ADS 203.3
- Baseline Data, Indicators, and Targets Needed to Measure Progress and Achievement - ADS Chapter 203
- Indicators Do Not Effectively Measure Program Impact - ADS 203.3.2.2 - ADS 200.2.b
- Performance Data Lacked Support - ADS 203.3
- Performance Indicators and Targets Did Not Facilitate Program Management - ADS 203.3
- Setting Performance Targets for Partners - ADS 203
- Data Quality Assessments Not Completed - ADS 203.3.5 - Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–62) - Performance Management Toolkit
- Performance Management Plan Not Completed - ADS 203.3 - Performance Management Toolkit
- Performance Indicator Definitions Not Consistently Applied - ADS 203.3 - GAO Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government
- Reported Results Were Not Verified – ADS 203.3.5.1. - ADS 202.3.6.
- Partner Implementation Plans Lacked Vital Information – ADS 200.6
- Lack of a Current Performance Management Plan (PMP) - ADS 203.3.3
- Thorough Site Visits Were Not Conducted - ADS 202.3.4.6 - ADS 202.3.6
- Data Quality Assessments Were Not Completed - ADS 203.3.5.2 - Performance and Results Act of 1993
- Performance Management Plan Was Not Completed - ADS 203.3.3
- Improve Data Quality and Program Monitoring - ADS 203.3.5.1 - ADS 203.3.5.3.b