POST RESPONSE TO OIG RECOMMENDATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000028

SIPDIS

FOR OIG/ISP, EUR/NCE, and EUR/EX

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASIG EZ AMGT
SUBJECT: POST RESPONSE TO OIG RECOMMENDATIONS

REF: SEPTEMBER 2004 REPORT OF INSPECTION NO. ISP-I-04-39A


1. Prague submits the following responses to the formal
recommendations of the referenced OIG report.


2. Recommendation No. 1: Embassy Prague should request,
and the Bureau of Consular Affairs and Bureau of European
And Eurasian Affairs should approve and fund, an additional
Foreign Service national position in the Consular Section to
perform Consular management support duties. (Action:
Embassy Prague, in coordination with CA and EUR)

Embassy's response: Embassy concurs with the OIG
recommendation and has taken action. The FMO section has
included the cost of an FSN-06 management support position
in its budget forecast and will include the request in this
year's MPP submission. Embassy now awaits funding from
Department to take further action on this recommendation.


3. Recommendation No. 2: Embassy Prague should reissue a
visa referral policy under Chief of Mission signature,
consistent with the most recent guidance, and ensure that it
is implemented consistently. (Action: Embassy Prague)

Embassy's response: Embassy reissued visa referral policy
in Management Notice number 31/04 on 7/19/04.


4. Recommendation No. 3: Embassy Prague should
institutionalize the required record keeping and audit
procedures described in the Consular Management Handbook to
compare machine-readable visa fee collections against
applications received. (Action: Embassy Prague)

Embassy's response: The Consular Section is now reconciling
MRV collections with applications received, as required by
the Consular Management Handbook.


5. Recommendation No. 4: Embassy Prague, in coordination
with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should
formally study the feasibility of reconfiguring existing
areas within the chancery to meet Consular space needs.
(Action: Embassy Prague, in coordination with OBO)

Embassy's response: The Embassy has been working with the
Bureau of Consular Affairs ("CA") and the Bureau of Overseas
Buildings Operations ("OBO") for over a year on enlarging
the Consular Section to accommodate growth in staffing,
increased numbers of applicants, and new legislatively-
mandated visa requirements. The ideal plan for the Mission
is to construct a new facility in the third garden of the
Mission compound. However, neither CA nor OBO have the
necessary funds to cover construction costs, estimated to be
approximately USD 11 million, nor will they have those funds
in the foreseeable future. Therefore the Embassy has
devised an interim plan to enlarge the Consular Section by
expanding into adjacent areas of the Chancery currently
occupied by other sections and remodeling other areas to
accommodate their relocation. While this solution is not
ideal, we do not have the luxury of waiting many years for
the eventual construction of a new Consular facility.

We have received from CA funds in the amount of $42,000 for
design of the expansion project and are working with a local
architectural firm on the plans, which are currently at the
35% completion stage. Embassy will need additional funds
from CA and/or OBO to cover the costs of renovation and
relocation to implement this proposal. We estimate the
costs to be approximately $350,000 and have requested this
amount from the Department.


6. Recommendation No. 5: Embassy Prague should implement a
more active monitoring schedule to scan all user folders for
inappropriate material and document the review of randomly
selected user libraries. (Action: Embassy Prague)

Embassy's response: ISO and ISSO Prague have implemented a
bi-weekly random scan of user libraries, email, and folders.
These reviews are documented in the ISSO Log.


7. Recommendation No. 6: Embassy Prague should complete
and implement the information system documentation
requirements and provide copies of the plans to the Bureau
of Information Resource Management. (Action: Embassy
Prague)

Embassy's response: ISSO and Systems Managers have
submitted the IT Contingency Plan and System Security Plan
to DS for review. The Configuration Management Plan has an
anticipated completion/submission date of 31 January 2004.


8. Recommendation No. 7: Embassy Prague, in coordination
with the Bureau of Information Resource Management, should
work to approve an offsite alternate facility for classified
information systems processing and storage. (Action:
Embassy Prague, in coordination with IRM)
Embassy's response: IRM equipment and contingency plans are
available, but the lack of an offsite location cleared for
the storage and processing reduces their effectiveness. Post
IMO is currently working with IRM and DS to resolve
this issue. DS regulations regarding offsite
storage/processing of classified information severely reduce
the options open to post regarding storage of contingency
classified equipment/operations.


9. Recommendation No. 8: Embassy Prague should discontinue
the practice of authorizing U.S. government sponsored school
employees to use the diplomatic pouch for personal mail
services. (Action: Embassy Prague)

Embassy's response: Embassy is in the process of formally
requesting a waiver from DPM in order to provide this
service to the U.S. citizens currently working at the
International School in Prague.


10. Recommendation No. 9: Embassy Prague should enforce
procedures to alert the Deputy Chief of Mission to
delinquencies in the preparation of work requirements
statements and/or performance evaluations by respective
officers. Such delinquencies should be noted in each
respective officer's evaluation report. (Action: Embassy
Prague)

Embassy's response: Embassy recognizes the importance of
ensuring timely submission of local employee performance
appraisals and has developed and implemented a systematic
method to correct and prevent the problem from re-occurring.
We now track performance appraisal due dates in our employee
database. During the first 5 days of every month, our HR
clerk downloads a customized report of performance appraisal
due dates and sends it out to all raters and reviewers, with
a copy to the DCM. The DCM is therefore made aware of any
delinquencies and raters and reviewers are reminded monthly
of upcoming due dates. We anticipate that this new system
will help ensure the timely submission of performance
appraisals.

HILLAS