Implementation Of The Government Performance And Results Act Of 1993

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed federal agencies' implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), including the prospects for compliance by federal agencies beyond those participating as pilots under the act, focusing on: (1) the status of the act's implementation efforts; (2) significant challenges confronting executive agencies in their efforts to become more results-oriented; and (3) ongoing efforts to integrate program, cost, and budget information into a reporting framework that allows for fuller consideration of resource allocations, operational costs, and performance results.

As requested by Congress and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), this report assists federal agencies in crafting plans and reports that are responsive to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), OMB Guidance, and agency missions. Using a case study approach, the report identifies best practices used by individual agencies to evaluate the performance and results of their science and technology programs. The report takes into account individual agencies' missions and how science and technology programs and human resource needs are factored into agency GPRA plans. Specific applications of recommendations are included from COSEPUP's earlier report entitled Evaluating Federal Research Programs: Research and the Government Performance and Results Act.