Last month, the White House publicly released a list of 92 priority goals that agencies have committed to achieve by the end of 2015. They also named individuals responsible for implementing these goals, as required by law. What are these goals? Who are these people? The 2010 revision of the Government Performance and Results ActRead… Read more »
When times are tight and states have effect performance budgeting processes, they are less likely to use across-the-board cuts. Are there lessons here for the federal government? New research findings by a team led Dr. Daniel Mullins at American University examine recent state-level trends in the use of performance budgeting or “budgeting for results” approaches.Read… Read more »
By Anna Hartley, Senior Acquisition Specialist Reverse auctions, a relatively new contracting method used by the government to procure a variety of good and services where the price is the main factor, has caused much debate and provoked heavy criticism among contracting professionals in the last few years. Some believe that reverse auctions are anRead… Read more »
GAO has issued a series of reports over the past three years identifying more than 80 areas where there is potential duplication and overlap. It observes that “agencies face a range of barriers when they attempt to work collaboratively.” On occasions, the Government Accountability Office breaks the mold for its reports and looks for thingsRead… Read more »
Earlier this week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee regarding “Leveraging Best Practices to Help Ensure Successful Major Acquisitions.” The testimony can be found here. The focus of the testimony was a presentation of nine common “critical success factors” that GAO identified in examining seven successful federalRead… Read more »
STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – are career fields in the U.S. jobs market that tripled in recent years. In fact, current projections are that the demand for these skills will outstrip the supply by at least one million jobs. Since the late 1950s, after the Russians launched Sputnik to the surprise ofRead… Read more »
For government managers faced with restrained budgets, hiring freezes, and new mandates, the pressure to do more with existing resources has gained widespread traction. “Wrong” is a bit of an overstatement, but for one government leader, the notion of “doing more with less” misses a central point. Last week, Rafael Borras, Under Secretary for ManagementRead… Read more »
A recent GAO report on the executive branch’s approach to new requirements in the Government Performance and Results Act recommends that “OMB improve the implementation of the act.” But a sub-theme in the report describes how agencies are actually building a long-term, solid foundation for a performance-driven government. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is requiredRead… Read more »
The Obama Administration has built on efforts from the Bush Administration to embed the use of evidence and evaluation in making funding decisions. There are now four different types of initiatives underway, or proposed, in a range of federal agencies. Within OMB, there is an active effort to catalyze agencies to develop and undertake aRead… Read more »
Policymakers are fixated on short-term budget austerity measures such as furloughs, pay freezes, and conference and travel spending. However, there is a small, but growing effort to take a longer, more strategic look at how to manage austerity by finding what works and targeting dollars there instead of to programs that cannot demonstrate effectiveness. ThisRead… Read more »