Supporting transparency and accountability of foreign aid.
Context
EUR/ACE provides funding to over 18 different U.S. agencies and non-governmental organizations, including USAID, that work across a broad range of sectors such as economic growth, energy, democracy, rule of law, media, governance, anti-corruption, and countering Russia aggression. The program specifically focuses on 18 countries across the Balkans, Eurasia, and Central Asia.
Approach
The main objective of this contract is to ensure that EUR/ACE–funded programs in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia are compliant with the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA) requirements and any additional requirements that may be articulated in the Department of State’s 18 FAM 300, which is reviewed on a rolling basis. Dexis has created a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to support the implementation of FATAA requirements across these assistance programs along several broad phases: gap analysis, designing a plan to address gaps, and implementation. The team also will implement training and robust support supplemented with materials tailored to stakeholder needs for successful implementation and collect performance data across program countries.
Achievements
The Senior Program M&E Specialist has reviewed and assessed the 18 implementing agencies’ current definitions of their programs, their program design processes, and their M&E and reporting systems. Concurrently with the Washington, D.C.–based Gap Assessment, the M&E Specialist co-drafted the Joint State-USAID Strategy for the next four years for the EUR region and proposed a new Joint Regional Strategy (JSR) Framework for review in spring 2018. Our expert M&E Specialist has conducted field assessments including interviews with embassy and mission staff as well as local recipients and program implementers. The M&E Specialist also worked on identifying gaps implementing a FATAA compliance plan that addresses those gaps. Currently, the M&E Specialist is focused on supporting the ACE Annual Budget Review (ABR) process.