Background investigations : Office of Personnel Management needs to improve transparency of its pricing and seek cost savings : report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Government Accountability Office

Contributor:

Farrell, Brenda S.

United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs. Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Office of Personnel Management--Rules and practice--Evaluation.

United States.

United States. Office of Personnel Management.

Security clearances--United States--Costs.

Security clearances.

Employee screening--United States--Costs.

Employee screening.

Genre:

Rules and practice.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (iii, 67 pages)

Other Title:

Office of Personnel Management needs to improve transparency of its pricing and seek cost savings

Place of Publication:

[Washington, D.C.] : U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, [2012]

Summary:

In fiscal year 2011, the Office of Personnel Management, as the investigative service provider for most of the federal government, received over $1 billion to conduct more than 2 million background investigations (suitability determinations and personnel security clearances) for government employees. The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and the resulting governmentwide reform (led by the Performance Accountability Council) helped to improve the timeliness and quality of investigations. GAO was asked to (1) identify the cost trends related to OPM's background investigations since fiscal year 2005 and the principal factors driving OPM's costs, (2) assess how OPM develops the background investigation prices it charges to agencies and the extent to which the basis of these prices is transparent, and (3) assess the extent to which governmentwide reform efforts have focused on reducing costs. For this review, GAO analyzed OPM's reported background investigation cost, workload and pricing data from fiscal years 2005 to 2011; examined key background investigation reform effort documents; and conducted interviews with executive branch agencies' officials. GAO recommends that OPM provide customer agencies better information on the costs of background investigations and identify and address efficiencies that could lead to cost savings. GAO also recommends that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), through the Performance Accountability Council, expand its reform focus to identify opportunities for cost savings. OPM and OMB concurred; however, OPM raised issues with the basis of some of GAO, s findings. GAO disagrees and addresses these issues in this report.

Notes:

Title from cover screen (viewed on Mar. 29, 2012).

"February 2012."

Includes bibliographical references.

"GAO-12-197."

OCLC:

781939402