Program Management: A Service Approach

1
Program Management A Service Approach

• Presented by Ross Kreamer, Assistant Deputy
  Administrator, Office of Capacity Building and
  Development, Foreign Agricultural Service

2
Program Management

• Encompasses all of our work with our partners
• Our focus is on service providing better
  services to support our programs

3
Improvements Currently Being Implemented

• Priority country selection
• Agreement negotiation process
• Food aid operations
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Food aid quality improvements
• Updating regulations

4
Priority Country Selection

• Presented our priority country list
• Its a shortened, more focused list that reflects
  FAS priorities
• Multi-year agreements to provide greater
  certainty

5
Agreement Negotiation Process

• Standardized sections of agreements
• Increased flexibility in implementation
• Financial transparency

6
Food Aid Operations

• Strengthening financial management and reporting
• Streamlined purchasing practices
• Heightened advocacy/representative efforts
• Product and packaging oversight

7
Food Aid Operations, contd

• IT improvements
• Existing improvements
• Commodity Operations System (COS) one step
  procurement, FARES, EBES, FBES
• PowerTrack web-based freight and OFD invoice
  payments
• Future improvements
• FAIS food aid program management
• WBSCM commodity and freight procurement

8
Monitoring and Evaluation

• FAS has increased resources on reviewing program
  implementation and outcomes
• OCBD is increasing
• Field visits of food aid programs
• Evaluation in order to identify positive
  approaches under food aid programs
• The timely closing of food aid agreements

9
Food Aid Quality Improvements

• USDA
• Review and update current commodity
  specifications
• Establish lab protocols in support of commodity
  specifications
• USAID
• Evaluate current commodities against meeting
  beneficiary needs
• Recommend new products

10
Updating Regulations

• To incorporate Farm Bill changes and other
  desired changes, FAS is re-drafting food aid
  regulations
• Our goals include
• Clearer guidance on program implementation
• Our partners will have an opportunity to comment