Governing for Results: Improving Federal Government Performance and Accountability

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Abstract

Providing the best possible government services to our citizens requires accountability and effective measurement of performance. It's been 15 years since Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993, which requires each federal agency to develop strategic plans, annual performance plans, and performance reports. The time is right to review the performance improvement process so the new administration can build on, and exceed, previous results.

Introduction

The presidential candidates have clearly indicated that a primary interest is to provide the best possible services to our citizens. To run the government for this purpose will require the best possible information on costs and results and the best processes for obtaining and using that information.

The current performance improvement movement began when Congress unanimously passed the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). The act enjoyed widespread support from both the executive branch and Congress, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Still in effect, GPRA requires each federal agency to develop and provide to Congress (1) strategic plans that cover at least five years from the fiscal year in which the plan is submitted and that must be updated at least every three years; (2) annual performance plans, as part of each agency’s budget submission; and (3) performance reports for the previous fiscal year that must be provided within six months after the fiscal year ends. The first year of full implementation of GPRA covered fiscal year 1999.

Currently, the federal government’s formal components include

• Agency strategic plans
• Annual agency program performance plans
• Annual agency performance reports. These reports, required for each agency, have taken many forms. The current version is called the Performance and Accountability Report (PAR). No requirement exists for a government-wide performance report.
• The Program Assessment Rating Tool, commonly called PART, which OMB introduced in 2002. OMB develops ratings for each federal program’s (a) purpose and design, (b) strategic planning, (c) program management, and (d) results. Each federal agency provides material to OMB for each item on the rating questionnaire after which OMB budget examiners score each item. The scores are combined into an overall score that is then summarized in an “effectiveness” rating. Since 2002, OMB has identified and rated approximately 1,000 programs. Of these, about 20 percent have been assessed each year using the performance assessment rating tool. This process has been controversial, as discussed below.
• In-depth program evaluations of selected programs, some of which Congress requests.
• The Executive Branch Management Scorecard, commonly called the “President’s Management Agenda.” Each federal agency now regularly receives five OMB ratings. These are for management of human capital, competitive sourcing (recently changed to “commercial services management”), improved financial performance, expanded electronic government, and performance improvement. Agencies are rated on a red, yellow, and green “traffic light” rating scale.
• And, of course, the annual executive branch budget presentations to Congress, which include some of the quantitative information from the sources cited above.

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