The Oversight Paradox: How Expanding Compliance Is Driving Governance Innovation
As compliance mandates expand, public-sector leaders must resolve a paradox: that compliance maturity outpaces governance effectiveness.
Posts Tagged: oversight
Breaking down the first year of PortfolioStat
Last March the Office of Management and Budget unveiled PortfolioStat. The goal was simple, help agencies save time, money and resources by giving them a tool to asses their portfolio management process. Andrew McMahon is a Senior Policy Advisor at OMB. He oversees PortfolioStat. McMahon was a panelist at an AFCEA Bethesda event that theRead… Read more »
Could the Scandal at IRS Discourage Decision Making?
By now everyone has heard about the situation brewing over at the IRS. But here is a brief refresher: A Treasury Department inspector general criticized IRS management for not providing sufficient oversight for agency workers who evaluate applications for tax-exempt status. The report said that laxity contributed to workers screening for words like “tea party”Read… Read more »
When It Comes to Violations, Keeping Congress In The Loop
Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa of California, sent a three paged letter to the government’s inspectors general (earnestly) asking for more communication alerting Congress when serious violations are under investigation. Darrell Issa wants inspectors general to loop in Congress The letter cited the 2010 $823,000 GSA spending spree inRead… Read more »
Your Taxpayer Dollar$ at Work: Final Iraq Audit Report Edition
The “final” report on Iraq reconstruction was released recently, and I have seen little media attention to the astonishing level of waste, incompetence, and outright theft that the report highlights. How much money is unaccounted for? According to the report, nobody knows. After years of trying to account for the billions we poured into theRead… Read more »
Who is the IG? We have the answer.
This week is Public Service Recognition Week and Who is the IG? can’t think of a better time to kick off our presence on Govloop. The purpose of Who is the IG? is to educate the public about Inspectors General and their mission to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in government programs. Public servants haveRead… Read more »
Congressional Ovesight of Performance
There may be widespread public dissatisfaction with Congress’s performance, but GAO has issued a new report that highlights Congress’s role in overseeing agency performance. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a set of briefing slides, “Managing for Results: Opportunities for Congress to Address Government Performance Issues,” which it is using to bring Members of CongressRead… Read more »
More Transparency, More Reporting?
It seems it is not a matter of whether, but when, the federal government will impose new reporting requirements on recipients of federal financial assistance. On the same day, President Obama issued a new executive order on the matter while a key member of Congress introduced legislation that could have a drastic impact on grantsRead… Read more »
Let Sellers Talk to Buyers Early in Procurement
This piece was originally published for Bloomberg Government on 03/11/2011. The Obama White House announced plans in December to transform the way federal information technology projects are managed and executed. Its 25-point implementation instructions to federal agencies include many good ideas, from the adoption of light technologies and shared services to aligning the budget andRead… Read more »
Communications Are Vital to Improving Acquisitions
Two opposing views have emerged this week regarding communications with industry. According to Sen McCaskill (D-MO), chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s Contracting Oversight Subcommittee, the current relationship has apparently clouded the judgment of contracting officials to the point where objectivity has been compromised in contract award decisions. During a recentRead… Read more »