USAID Reporting
ADS, MEL, QPR format, and USAID's cross-cutting requirements.
USAID is the largest bilateral donor in the world and has one of the most comprehensive reporting frameworks. Understanding USAID's approach — its Automated Directive System (ADS), Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) requirements, and the Collaboration Wiki — is essential for any organisation receiving USAID funding.
USAID's Results Framework
USAID operates on a Results Framework that spans from the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) down to individual Activity level indicators.
The hierarchy:
- Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) — USAID's multi-year strategic plan for a country
- Development Objective (DO) — Intermediate outcomes the strategy aims to achieve
- Intermediate Result (IR) — Shorter-term changes
- Activity — Specific project or intervention
- Outputs and Outcomes — The changes your activity produces
Your project sits within this hierarchy. Your reports must demonstrate how your outputs contribute to the IR and DO levels, even if your project is only directly responsible for the Activity-level outputs.
Types of USAID Reports
1. Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR)
The standard reporting requirement for most USAID awards. Typically includes:
- Narrative of progress against the Work Plan
- Performance indicator data table
- Data quality assessment summary
- Implementation challenges and actions taken
- Upcoming quarter priorities
- Financial summary
2. Annual Performance Report / Annual Report
More comprehensive than the QPR, this report provides:
- Full analysis of performance across all indicators
- Evaluation and learning findings
- Sustainability and transition planning
- Stakeholder and beneficiary feedback
- Data quality assessment updates
3. Activity Completion Report (ACR)
Submitted at project end, it provides:
- Final performance against all indicators
- Documentation of key achievements and challenges
- Sustainability and transition planning
- Lessons learned
- Recommendations for future programming
4. Geographic Reporting (for Global or Regional Projects)
USAID's geographic reporting tools (GDIA, DQA tools) aggregate data from multiple implementing mechanisms.
USAID Performance Monitoring
Performance Management Plan (PMP)
Every USAID award requires a Performance Management Plan — a document that:
- Lists all indicators (custom and standard)
- Establishes baselines, targets, and data sources
- Assigns responsibility for data collection
- Sets a data collection schedule
Your reports reference the PMP. Know your PMP before you start writing.
USAID Standard Indicators
USAID maintains a Standard Indicator Directory with over 1,000 standard indicators across sectors. Where standard indicators exist, USAID requires you to use them. Always check the directory before creating custom indicators.
Common USAID standard indicators:
- EG.4-5 — Number of people with improved access to [sector] services
- HL.8 — Number of cases of [disease] treated
- EG.3.1-28 — Number of [type] constructed or rehabilitated
Disaggregation
USAID requires disaggregation at minimum by:
- Sex (male/female)
- Age (as appropriate to the indicator)
- Geographic location (region, district)
- Population type (as relevant: e.g., urban/rural, host community/refugee)
USAID Reporting Format
Quarterly Performance Report Structure
- Executive Summary (1 page)
- Progress Against the Work Plan — By IR and Activity
- Narrative for each Activity/output
- Indicator data table with baselines, targets, actuals
- Collaboration and Learning — How you collaborated with other actors
- Environmental Compliance — Progress on environmental mitigation measures
- Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment — Gender integration across all activities
- U.S. Government Partnership and Coordination
- Implementation Challenges, Issues, and Actions Taken
- Upcoming Quarter Priorities
- Annexes — Indicator tables, data quality assessments, MEL plan updates
USAID-Specific Reporting Themes
1. Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE)
USAID has a Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Policy. Your reports must demonstrate:
- How gender was integrated into programme design
- What sex-disaggregated data shows about programme outcomes by gender
- Specific actions taken to address gender gaps
- How women and girls were involved in programme governance and feedback
USAID uses the Gender Equality Marker (0 = no gender integration, 1 = gender equality as a secondary objective, 2 = gender equality as a primary objective). Know your marker's score.
2. Disability Inclusion
USAID's disability policy (ADS 201) requires:
- Disability-inclusive programming
- Disaggregated data on persons with disabilities
- Reasonable accommodation in programme delivery
Include in your report: number and percentage of beneficiaries with disabilities, and what specific accommodations your programme made.
3. Environment
USAID's environmental compliance requirements are extensive. If your award has an IEE (Initial Environmental Examination), your reports must include:
- Environmental compliance status for all programme activities
- Status of environmental mitigation measures
- Any environmental incidents or unexpected impacts
4. Evaluation and Learning
USAID expects implementing partners to contribute to ** Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA)**:
- Documentation of what is working and what is not
- Evidence-based adaptations made to the programme
- Learning events conducted or participated in
- Contribution to USAID's knowledge management systems
USAID Financial Reporting
Federal Financial Reports (SF-425)
USAID recipients must submit Federal Financial Reports (SF-425) on a quarterly or annual basis (as specified in the award).
The SF-425 requires:
- Federal funds received
- Federal funds expended
- Balance of federal funds on hand
- Amount of cost share (matching) contributed
Cost Sharing / Matching
Most USAID awards require cost sharing — a percentage of total costs contributed by the implementer or a third party.
- Cost sharing must be documented in your financial report
- In-kind contributions must be valued at fair market value
- Do not claim cost share that has not been actually contributed
Indirect Costs and NICRA
If you have a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), ensure:
- Your indirect cost rate is applied correctly
- The NICRA is current (not expired)
- Only allowable costs are included in the indirect cost pool
ADS References for Implementing Partners
USAID's Automated Directive System (ADS) is the operational policy manual. Key chapters for implementing partners:
| ADS Chapter | Subject |
|---|---|
| ADS 201 | Disability Policy |
| ADS 205 | Environmental Procedures |
| ADS 303 | Grants and Cooperative Agreements |
| ADS 579 | Branding and Marking |
| 303maa | Indicator Standards |
| 200maa | Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment |
Common USAID Reporting Mistakes
- Inconsistent indicator definitions — Always use the exact indicator definition from the PMP
- Missing data quality assessments — USAID expects DQAs for all custom indicators
- Over-claiming outcomes — Do not attribute to your project changes that required multiple actors
- Late QPRs — USAID has an automated Late Report escalating system; late reports affect your organisation's risk rating
- Financial-narrative mismatch — Every financial variance in the SF-425 must be explained in the narrative
- Missing branding — USAID requires proper marking on all publications; your report should confirm marking compliance
USAID Reporting Resources
- USAID Learning Lab — learninglab.usaid.gov
- CLA Toolkit — usaiddiva.org
- Standard Indicator Directory — indicators.usaid.gov
- ADS — public.usaid.gov (search ADS)
Next: Read Global Fund Reporting for guidance on Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria funding.