§ 212.9 Responsibility for responding to requests. ( a ) *In general.* The component's FOIA office should, to the extent practicable, communicate with requesters having access to the internet using electronic means, such as email or web portal.
( b ) *Acknowledgments of requests.* The component's FOIA office shall acknowledge the request and assign it an individualized tracking number. The component's FOIA office shall include in the acknowledgment a brief description of the records sought to allow requesters to more easily keep track of their requests.
( c ) *Grants of requests.* Once the component's FOIA office makes a determination to grant a request in full or in part, it shall notify the requester in writing. The component's FOIA office also shall inform the requester of any fees charged and shall disclose the requested records to the requester promptly upon payment of any applicable fees.
( d ) *Consultations and referrals.* Whenever the component's FOIA office consults with another Federal Government office over the releasability of a record, the component's FOIA office shall notify the requester of the consultation and inform the requester of the name(s) of the agency or office with which the consultation is taking place. Whenever the component's FOIA office refers any part of the responsibility for responding to a request to another Federal Government office, the component's FOIA office shall document the referral, maintain a copy of the record that it refers, notify the requester of the referral, and inform the requester of the name(s) of the agency to which the record was referred, including that agency's FOIA contact information.
( e ) *Adverse determinations of requests.* If the component's FOIA office has made an adverse determination denying a request in any respect, the component's FOIA office shall notify the requester of that determination in writing, and provide the contact information for the FOIA Public Liaison, as well as a description of the requester's right to seek mediation services from the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS). Adverse determinations, or denials of requests, include decisions that: the requested record is exempt, in whole or in part; the request does not reasonably describe the records sought; the information requested is not a record subject to the FOIA; the requested record does not exist, cannot be located, or has been destroyed; or the requested record is not readily reproducible in the form or format sought by the requester. A response will provide an estimate of the volume of any records or any information withheld. Adverse determinations also include denials involving fees or fee waiver matters or denials of requests for expedited processing.
( f ) *Information furnished.* All denials are in writing and describe in general terms the material withheld; state the reasons for the denial, including, as applicable, a reference to the specific exemption of the FOIA authorizing the withholding; explain your right to appeal the decision and identify the official to whom you should send the appeal; and are signed by the person who made the decision to deny all or part of the request. Records disclosed in part must be marked clearly to show the amount of information deleted and the exemption under which the deletion was made unless doing so would harm an interest protected by an applicable exemption. The location of the information deleted must also be indicated on the record, if technically feasible.
( g ) *Conducting searches.* USAID performs a diligent search for records to satisfy your request. Nevertheless, the Agency may not be able to find the records requested using the information provided, or the records may not exist.