SIGIR Publications


Learning From Iraq. A final report from The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
Publication Descriptions
Quarterly Reports and Semi-Annual Reports: These reports, published 30 days following the end of each fiscal-year quarter, summarize SIGIR findings including audits, inspections, investigations, and analysis of data and developments related to Iraq reconstruction progress. The activities of the Inspector General during each quarter and updates on the various SIGIR initiatives including Lessons Learned are also reported.
Learning From Iraq: A final report from The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction culminates SIGIR's nine-year mission overseeing Iraq’s reconstruction. It serves as a follow-up to our previous comprehensive review of the rebuilding effort, Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience.
Lessons Learned: The purpose of SIGIR's Lessons Learned Initiative is to capture and apply the lessons learned from the Iraq reconstruction experience. In February 2006, SIGIR released Iraq Reconstruction: Lessons in Human Capital Management; in August 2006, SIGIR released Iraq Reconstruction: Lessons in Contracting and Procurement; and in March 2007, SIGIR released its third and final Lessons Learned report, Iraq Reconstruction: Lessons in Program and Project Management. These three reports help satisfy SIGIR’s mandate from Congress to provide recommendations that promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of the reconstruction program in Iraq.
Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience – Between the March 2003 invasion and January 2009, the Congress appropriated about $50 billion in taxpayer dollars for Iraq’s relief and reconstruction. This generous provision funded a continuously evolving rebuilding program that sought, among other things, to restore Iraq’s essential services, establish new security forces, create a free–market economy, and put the country on the path to achieving an effective democracy. Some of the initiatives succeeded but others did not.
Audit Reports: SIGIR primarily conducts performance audits that assess the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and results of Iraq reconstruction programs, often with a focus on the adequacy of internal controls and the potential for fraud, waste, and abuse.
Assessments: SIGIR assessment teams gather contractual specifications, then travel to the project sites to inspect actual on-site efforts and accomplishments. SIGIR inspectors have brought deficiencies in planning, design work, construction, testing, and general contractor oversight to the attention of U.S. managers, so that action can be taken to improve project execution.
Special Reports: The purpose of SIGIR's Special Reports series is to provide insight into unique aspects of Iraq reconstruction not covered in SIGIR audits, investigations, lessons learned or quarterly reports. In April 2012, SIGIR released its first Special Report: Leaders' Perceptions of the Commander's Emergency Response Program in Operation Iraqi Freedom; in July 2012, SIGIR released its second Special Report: The Human Toll of Reconstruction or Stabilization during Operation Iraqi Freedom; the last report will focus on Measuring Reconstruction Effectiveness in the Rusafa Political District.
Testimony Before Congress: The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction frequently provides testimony before U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate committees on SIGIR's oversight of the U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq.
Infographics Pictures speak louder than words. This collection of Informational Graphics helps to tell the tale of Iraq Reconstruction in a beautiful and powerful way.
Accomplishments: SIGIR: Six Years of Oversight, Six Years of Results.