2010 Census: Diversity in Human Capital, Outreach Efforts Can
Benefit the 2010 Census (26-JUL-07, GAO-07-1132T).
For the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) faces the
daunting challenge of cost-effectively counting a population that
is growing steadily larger, more diverse, increasingly difficult
to find, and more reluctant to participate in the decennial
census. Managing its human capital, maintaining community
partnerships, and developing advertising strategies to increase
response rates for the decennial census are several ways that the
Bureau can complete the 2010 Census accurately and within budget.
This testimony, based primarily on past GAO work, provides
information on (1) diversity in the Bureau's workforce, (2) plans
for partnering with others in an effort to build public awareness
of the census; and (3) certain requirements for ensuring
contracting opportunities for small businesses.
-------------------------Indexing Terms-------------------------
REPORTNUM: GAO-07-1132T
ACCNO: A73391
TITLE: 2010 Census: Diversity in Human Capital, Outreach Efforts
Can Benefit the 2010 Census
DATE: 07/26/2007
SUBJECT: Advertising
Best practices
Census
Diversity management
Employees
Human capital
Personnel recruiting
Population growth
Small business contractors
Staff utilization
Strategic planning
Temporary employment
Program evaluation
Senior Executive Service
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GAO-07-1132T
* [1]Background
* [2]Implementing Diversity Management Practices Can Help Benefit
* [3]Succession Planning for Senior Managers
* [4]Recruiting for Temporary Decennial Workforce
* [5]Collaborative Partnership Efforts with Diverse Communities C
* [6]Efforts to Contract with Small Business
* [7]Contact and Acknowledgements
* [8]GAO's Mission
* [9]Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony
* [10]Order by Mail or Phone
* [11]To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs
* [12]Congressional Relations
* [13]Public Affairs
Testimony
Before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National
Archives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of
Representatives
United States Government Accountability Office
GAO
For Release on Delivery
Expected at 2:00 p.m. EDT
Thursday July 26, 2007
2010 CENSUS
Diversity in Human Capital, Outreach Efforts Can Benefit the 2010 Census
Statement of Mathew J. Scire, Director, Strategic Issues
GAO-07-1132T
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Turner, Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to discuss how the Census
Bureau (Bureau) approaches diversity in the Bureau's human capital,
community partnerships, and outreach efforts. For the 2010 Census, the
Bureau faces the daunting challenge of cost-effectively counting a
population that is growing steadily larger, more diverse, increasingly
difficult to find, and more reluctant to participate in the decennial
census. Managing its human capital, maintaining community partnerships,
and developing advertising strategies to increase response rates for the
decennial census are several ways that the Bureau can complete an accurate
and cost-effective census.
As you know, the decennial census is a critical national effort mandated
by the Constitution. Census data are used to apportion seats in the
Congress, redraw congressional districts, allocate billions of dollars in
federal assistance to state and local governments, and for numerous other
public and private sector purposes. In addition, the census is a
complicated undertaking and a substantial investment, requiring careful
planning, risk management, and oversight to ensure its ultimate success.
The census is the nation's largest peacetime mobilization, and the Bureau
estimates the 2010 Census will cost $11.5 billion over its life cycle,
making it the most expensive census in our country's history, even after
adjusting for inflation. Since the 2000 Census, we have been examining how
the Bureau is preparing for the 2010 Census.
Today's hearing is topical and timely because in less than 2 years, the
Bureau will begin to hire thousands of workers for its address canvassing
operation in preparation for the 2010 Census, where temporary field
workers verify the addresses of all housing units. As requested, we are
providing information about three important aspects of the Bureau's
preparations for the 2010 Census: (1) diversity in the Bureau's leadership
and management ranks and its plans for recruiting and hiring temporary
field workers; (2) plans for partnering with others in an effort to build
public awareness of the census; and (3) certain requirements for ensuring
contracting opportunities for small businesses.
My remarks today are based primarily on reports that we issued from 2000
through July 2007 on the planning and development of the 2010 Census, as
well as our work on diversity management, collaboration among federal
agencies, and contracting with small businesses. We conducted that work in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
In summary, Mr. Chairman, promoting a diverse workforce can benefit the
Bureau, especially as it prepares for the 2010 Census. As we previously
reported in 2005, high-performance organizations are inclusive, drawing on
the strengths of employees at all levels and of all backgrounds.1 The
Bureau understands that its staff must reflect the increasing diversity of
the American population if it is to do its job well. We found that the
Bureau's leadership ranks currently are about as diverse as the leadership
ranks of the federal government as a whole, with higher minority
representation and lower representation of women. Importantly, Bureau
officials emphasize the need to recruit temporary field workers locally,
because such staff represent the demographic characteristics of areas
being enumerated and are best able to relate to local residents and help
overcome any reluctance to participate in the census. The Bureau's
recruiting efforts will be accompanied by a public partnership program
with local governments, Indian tribal leadership, and others that will
leverage their insights and familiarity with local and diverse populations
to help recruit field staff and encourage participation in the 2010
Census. Likewise, the Bureau expects that its proposed communications
campaign will encourage the participation of hard-to-enumerate populations
in the decennial. It will be important for the Bureau to follow through on
its plans for leveraging the experiences of its workforce, partners, and
contractors to help ensure the success of the 2010 Census.
Background
The decennial census is conducted against a backdrop of immutable
deadlines. The census's elaborate chain of interrelated pre- and
post-Census Day activities is predicated upon those dates. To meet these
mandated reporting requirements, census activities must occur at specific
times and in the proper sequence. The Secretary of Commerce is legally
required to (1) conduct the census on April 1 of the decennial year, (2)
report the state population counts to the President for purposes of
congressional apportionment by December 31 of the decennial year, and (3)
send population tabulations to the states for purposes of redistricting no
later than 1 year after the April 1 census date.
For the decennial census, the vast majority of housing units will receive
paper, mailback census questionnaires delivered by mail or by census field
workers before April 1, 2010. This requires a complete and accurate
address list. The inventory of housing units is obtained from several
sources including files from the U.S. Postal Service, partnerships
established with local entities, and the Bureau's address
canvassing--where temporary field workers verify and identify the
addresses of an estimated 130 million housing units over the course of
about 6 weeks in 2009. When housing units do not respond to questionnaires
by a certain deadline, temporary field workers will follow up and collect
census data through personal interviews during the nonresponse follow-up
operation, which accounts for the largest single component of the field
data collection workload and budget. The Bureau estimates that nonresponse
follow-up will include an estimated 39 million housing units over the
course of 12 weeks in 2010. The Bureau also relies on special procedures
to handle areas or living quarters that are not suitable for mailing or
delivering census questionnaires, such as very remote areas in Alaska and
prisons.
1 GAO, Diversity Management: Expert-Identified Leading Practices and
Agency Examples, [14]GAO-05-90 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 14, 2005).
To gather census data, the Bureau opens temporary offices across the
country for approximately 2 years, and all field staff employed in these
offices are considered temporary, with jobs lasting as long as the entire
2-year period or as short as a few weeks, depending on the specific
operation for which they are employed. For example, one could work on
address canvassing, an early operation, and then be rehired again to work
on the nonresponse follow-up operation later on in the decennial. To
conduct its decennial activities, the Bureau recruits, hires, and trains
temporary field workers based out of local census offices nationwide.
During Census 2000, the Bureau hired about half a million temporary
workers at peak, which temporarily made it one of the nation's largest
employers, surpassed by only a handful of big organizations, such as
Wal-Mart and the U.S. Postal Service. For the 2010 Census, the Bureau
expects to hire almost 75,000 temporary field workers--at a cost of over
$350 million--during address canvassing in 2009 and almost 525,000
temporary field workers--at a cost of over $2 billion--for nonresponse
follow-up in 2010. (See fig. 1.)
Figure 1: Bureau's Recruiting and Hiring Timeline for Temporary Field
Staff during the 2010 Census
Implementing Diversity Management Practices Can Help Benefit the Bureau's
Current Workforce and Recruitment for the Decennial Census
High-performance organizations are inclusive, drawing on the strengths of
employees at all levels and of all backgrounds. For the decennial census,
having a diverse workforce is particularly important. For example, in its
strategic plan, the Bureau notes that as the nation becomes more diverse,
the Bureau's staff must reflect the increasing diversity of the American
population if they are to do their job well.2 In a related point, Bureau
officials emphasize the need to recruit temporary field workers locally,
because such staff are best able to relate to local residents and overcome
any reluctance to participate in the census. In fact, the census, in many
respects, is a local endeavor because the key ingredients of a successful
population count, such as a complete and accurate address list and timely
and accurate field data collection, are carried out by the locally
recruited temporary field staff--working in and around their respective
neighborhoods--collecting data through various operations.
2U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau Strategic Plan, FY 2007 - 2010
(Washington, D.C.: June 2007).
A high-performance organization relies on a dynamic workforce with the
requisite talents, multidisciplinary knowledge, and up-to-date skills to
ensure it can accomplish its goals and missions. As we have previously
reported, such an organization fosters a work environment in which people
are enabled and motivated to contribute to continuous learning and
improvement as well as to accomplishing missions and goals.3 Such
organizations promote accountability and fairness. Importantly, they take
advantage of a workforce that is inclusive and utilizes the strengths and
talents of employees at all levels and backgrounds. This work environment
is consistent with the principles of "diversity management"--a process
intended to create and maintain a positive work environment where
individual similarities and differences are valued, so that all can reach
their potential and maximize their contributions to the organization. As
shown in table 1, in our previous work on diversity management, we
identified 9 diversity management practices.
Table 1: Leading Diversity Management Practices
o Top leadership commitment--a vision of diversity demonstrated and
communicated throughout an organization by top-level management.
o Diversity as part of an organization's strategic plan--a diversity
strategy and plan that are developed and aligned with the
organization's strategic plan.
o Diversity linked to performance--the understanding that a more
diverse and inclusive work environment can yield greater productivity
and help improve individual and organizational performance.
o Measurement--a set of quantitative and qualitative measures of the
impact of various aspects of an overall diversity plan.
o Accountability--the means to ensure that leaders are responsible for
diversity by linking their performance assessment and compensation to
the progress of diversity initiatives.
o Succession planning--an ongoing, strategic process for identifying
and developing a diverse pool of talent for an organization's potential
future leaders.
o Recruitment--the process for attracting a supply of qualified,
diverse applicants for employment.
o Employee involvement--the contribution of employees in driving
diversity throughout an organization.
o Diversity training--organizational efforts to inform and educate
management and staff about diversity.
Source: GAO
Note: Practices are from GAO, Diversity Management: Expert-Identified
Leading Practices and Agency Examples, [15]GAO-05-90 (Washington, D.C.:
Jan. 2005).
Perhaps the most important practice for diversity management is top
leadership commitment, because leaders and managers must commit the time
and necessary resources for the success of an organization's diversity
initiatives. Although all of these practices are important, today we
discuss two of them as they relate to the Bureau: (1) succession
planning--an ongoing, strategic process for identifying and developing a
diverse pool of talent for an organizations' potential future leaders--and
(2) recruitment for the Bureau's temporary field work--the process of
attracting qualified, diverse applicants for employment which is important
for maintaining high performance.
3 [16]GAO-05-90
Succession Planning for Senior Managers
As we have testified earlier, the federal government is facing new and
more complex challenges in the 21st century because of long-term fiscal
constraints, changing demographics, and other factors.4 The federal Senior
Executive Service (SES), which generally represents the most experienced
and senior segment of the federal workforce, is critical to providing the
strategic leadership needed to effectively meet these challenges.
Governmentwide, SES retirement eligibility is much higher than the
workforce in general, and a significant number of SES retirements could
result in a loss of leadership continuity, institutional knowledge, and
expertise among the SES corps.
We have previously reported that the Bureau needs to strategically manage
its human capital to meet future requirements.5 For example, three senior
census executives left the Bureau after the 2000 Census; in the years
ahead, other key employees will become eligible for retirement. According
to the Bureau's strategic plan, about 45 percent of the Bureau's current
permanent employees will be eligible for regular or early retirement by
2010. Thus, human capital is a key planning area for ensuring that the
Bureau has the skill mix necessary to meet its future staffing
requirements.
Racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in the federal government's senior
ranks can be a key organizational component for executing agency missions,
ensuring accountability to the American people in the administration and
operation of federal programs, and achieving results. Based on previous
work identifying diversity in the federal SES corps, we compared diversity
at the Bureau's senior levels with that of the Department of Commerce and
the executive branch governmentwide. Also, because the vast majority of
SES personnel is drawn from an agency's pool of GS-14s and GS-15s, we also
compared the diversity of the Bureau's SES developmental pool with that of
the Department of Commerce and other executive branch agencies
governmentwide. (See table 2.)
4GAO, Human Capital: Diversity in the Federal SES and the Senior Levels of
the U.S. Postal Service, [17]GAO-07-838T (Washington, D.C.: May 10, 2007).
5GAO, 2000 Census: Lessons Learned for Planning a More Cost-Effective 2010
Census, [18]GAO-03-40 (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 31, 2002).
Table 2: Percentage (and Number) of Women and Minorities in SES and the
Developmental Pool at the Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, and
Governmentwide for Fiscal Year 2002 and 2006
Department of
Census Bureau Commerce Governmentwide
2002 2006 2002 2006 2002 2006
SES
Women 29.4 22.2 (8) 27.6 (89) 27.8 (87) 25.5 28.4
(10) (1,585) (1,806)
Minorities 26.5 (9) 25.0 (9) 16.4 (53) 12.8 (40) 14.9 (922) 15.9
(1,007)
Developmental pool
Women (GS-15) 30.1 37.7 23.4 26.6 26.4 29.8
(58) (72) (572) (727) (14,549) (18,622)
Minorities 17.6 20.4 14.9 18.5 16.6 19.0
(GS-15) (34) (39) (365) (507) (9,133) (11,861)
Women (GS-14) 39.3 40.2 29.2 31.6 31.5 34.8
(190) (206) (1,519) (1,987) (28,794) (34,124)
Minorities 20.5 24.6 22.9 28.8 19.0 22.2
(GS-14) (99) (126) (1,192) (1,810) (17,413) (21,830)
Source: GAO analysis of data from the Office of Personnel Management's
Central Personnel Data File.
Notes: Governmentwide includes civilian employees of all cabinet-level
departments, independent agencies, commissions, councils, and boards in
the executive branch except the intelligence agencies, the Postal Service,
and the Foreign Service (as of 2006).
We included GS-15, GS-14, and equivalent employees. GS-equivalent
employees are those in equivalent grades under other pay plans that follow
the GS grade structure and job evaluation methodology or are equivalent by
statute.
These data provide a demographic snapshot of career SES and the GS-14 and
GS-15 grade levels that serve as developmental pools for SES positions
from the end of fiscal year 2002 and fiscal year 2006.
The numbers in this table reflect permanent appointments for those on
board as of September 30, 2002 and 2006.
Overall, we found that the Bureau's leadership ranks are about as diverse
as the leadership ranks for the federal government as a whole, with higher
minority representation and lower representation of women. Diversity in
the federal government's senior leadership and developmental pools are
important to developing and maintaining a high-quality and inclusive
workforce. Succession planning also is tied to the federal government's
opportunity to change the diversity of the SES corps through new
appointments.
Recruiting for Temporary Decennial Workforce
The success of the 2010 Census depends, in part, upon the Bureau's ability
to recruit, hire, and train a very large temporary workforce that works
for a very short period. Over the next several years the Bureau plans to
recruit 3.8 million applicants and hire nearly 600,000 temporary field
staff from that applicant pool for two key operations: address canvassing
and nonresponse follow-up. For the 2010 Census the Bureau plans to use a
recruiting and hiring approach like the one it used in 2000.
For the 2000 Census, the Bureau used an aggressive recruitment strategy in
partnership with state, local, and tribal governments, community groups,
and other organizations to help recruit employees and obtained exemptions
from the majority of state governments so that individuals receiving
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Medicaid, and selected other types
of public assistance would not have their benefits reduced when earning
census income, thus making census jobs more attractive.6 Further, the
Bureau used a recruitment advertising campaign, totaling over $2.3
million, which variously emphasized the ability to earn good pay, work
flexible hours, learn new skills, and do something important for one's
community. Moreover, the advertisements were in a variety of languages to
attract different ethnic groups, and were also targeted to different
races, senior citizens, retirees, and people seeking part-time
employment.7 The Bureau also advertised using traditional outlets such as
newspaper classified sections, as well as more novel media including
Internet banners and messages on utility and credit card bills.
Through its local census offices, the Bureau plans to recruit, hire, and
deploy a diverse workforce that looks like and can relate to the people
being counted. Local census offices will open for the 2010 Census in
October 2008. The Bureau has developed a Planning Database that local and
regional offices use to prepare recruiting plans. The Bureau expects those
offices to use the database to identify areas where field staff are more
difficult to recruit and other areas where certain skills--such as foreign
language abilities--are needed. The Bureau will update the Planning
Database for every census tract in the United States for the 2010 Census,
using many variables from Census 2000. These variables include: Census
2000 mail return rates; household size; median household income;
percentage of persons living in poverty; number of single person
households; highest level of education achieved; percentage of
linguistically isolated households (i.e., where no person 14 or over
speaks English at least "very well"); and percentage of persons on public
assistance.
6At the start of nonresponse follow-up in 2000, 44 states and the Virgin
Islands had granted an exemption for one or more of these programs.
7In 2000, officials of 59 of the 60 local census offices we visited
provided useable responses to our question about whether their offices had
the type of staff they needed to conduct nonresponse follow-up, including
staff with particular language skills to enumerate in targeted areas.
Officials at 54 of the 59 offices said they had the type of staff they
needed to conduct nonresponse follow-up. For example, officials in the
Boston North office said they hired enumerators who spoke Japanese,
Vietnamese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Russian, and Chinese, while
Pittsburgh office officials said they had enumerators that knew sign
language to communicate with deaf residents.
One of the Bureau's approaches to recruiting and hiring is ensuring that
it recruits and hires a sufficient number of field staff. For the 2000
Census the Bureau recruited 5 times the number of persons that it hired,
and hired twice the number of persons that it expects to need. We
recommended that the Bureau consider a more targeted approach. For
example, the Bureau could analyze the factors, such as education and work
status, for employees more likely to be successful at census work and less
likely to leave during an operation.8 The Bureau questioned the need for
taking action, noting that its priority is to reach out as broadly as
possible to the diverse communities in the country, because in order to
have hundreds of thousands of temporary workers, it must attract several
million applicants. We agree that the Bureau's recruiting approach should
be designed to ensure it selects a sufficient number of persons to
complete the census; however, we do not believe the Bureau has identified
the factors most likely to predict applicants' success and that are
incorporated in selection tools and procedures. Our recommendation calls
for a fact-based approach to developing selection tools so that the Bureau
could target recruitment to applicants who are not only more likely to
perform well but also to continue throughout an operation. Recruiting such
applicants could help reduce operational costs as well as recruiting and
hiring expenditures by decreasing the need to recruit and hire additional
workers. Likewise, such an approach can be undertaken while continuing to
attract a diverse workforce.
8GAO, 2010 Census: Census Bureau Should Refine Recruiting and Hiring
Efforts and Enhance Training of Temporary Field Staff, [19]GAO-07-361
(Washington, D.C.: Apr. 27, 2007).
Collaborative Partnership Efforts with Diverse Communities Can Benefit the
Decennial Census
Collaboration can be broadly defined as any joint activity that is
intended to produce more public value than could be produced when the
organization acts alone. We have previously reported on several best
practices that can enhance and sustain collaborative efforts. These
include (1) establishing mutually reinforcing or joint strategies and (2)
identifying and addressing needs by leveraging resources. For example,
critical decennial tasks, such as building public awareness of the census,
motivating people to respond, and locating pockets of hard-to-count
population groups, are accomplished in large part by partnerships between
the Bureau and local governments and community groups.9 To leverage
visibility, the Bureau also used partnerships with national organizations
such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National
Congress of American Indians, and the American Association of Retired
Persons.
In a recent field hearing, held by this subcommittee in San Antonio, Texas
on July 9, 2007, leaders of several national organizations called on the
Bureau to continue its efforts to ameliorate factors such as apathy, fear,
and distrust of government through continued partnerships for the 2010
Census. Leaders noted that within historically hard-to-enumerate
communities these issues are best addressed by trusted individuals,
institutions, and organizations. Consequently, these organizations'
leaders believe that the significance and positive impact of partner and
stakeholder networks to a community mobilization effort is critical to a
region's success and to the overall success of the census. The Bureau also
has met periodically with advisory committees representing minority
populations to help ensure a complete and accurate census.
To take a more complete and accurate count of the nation's population in
Census 2000, the Bureau partnered with other federal agencies, as well as
with state, local and tribal governments; religious, community, and social
service organizations; and private businesses. In previous work we found
that to coordinate local partners' efforts, the Bureau encouraged
government entities to form Complete Count Committees, which were to be
made up of representatives from various local groups.10 According to the
Bureau, about 140,000 organizations participated in its partnership
program, assisting in such critical activities as reviewing and updating
the Bureau's address list; encouraging people--especially hard-to-count
populations--to participate in the census; and recruiting temporary census
workers. The program stemmed from the Bureau's recognition that a
successful head count required the local knowledge, experience, and
expertise that these organizations provide. While we concluded that it is
quite likely that the key census-taking activities, such as recruiting
temporary census workers and encouraging people to complete their
questionnaires would have been less successful had it not been for the
Bureau's aggressive partnership efforts, we also recommended that the
Bureau take steps to make the partnership program more accountable and
performance-oriented. The Bureau expects the program will play a key role
in the 2010 Census. However, the Bureau's fiscal year 2008 budget request
does not include funds for the regional partnership program. In contrast
the Bureau received $5.7 million for the regional partnership program in
1998.
9GAO, 2000 Census: Answers to Hearing Questions on the Status of Key
Operations, [20]GGD-00-109R , (Washington, D.C.: May 31, 2000).
10 GAO, 2000 Census: Review of Partnership Program Highlights Best
Practices for Future Operations, [21]GAO-01-579 (Washington, D.C.: Aug.
20, 2001).
One of the means by which the Bureau plans for increasing response rates
is an advertising and outreach campaign to promote the census. In Census
2000, the Bureau first used a paid advertising campaign to create and
produce an advertising campaign to inform and motivate the public to
complete and return the census form by using a variety of media to stress
the message that participating in the census benefits one's community. For
Census 2000, the Bureau spent about $167 million on the paid advertising
campaign and a substantial portion of the advertising was directed at
minority groups. For the 2010 Census, the Bureau is currently in the
process of considering proposals for a similar effort. In its Request for
Proposals, the Bureau required that the contractor establish goals for
subcontracting with firms that are, for example, small disadvantaged
businesses, women-owned, veteran-owned, or are Historically Underutilized
Business Zone companies. The Bureau also included in the solicitation a
requirement that the contractor have expertise and experience in marketing
to historically undercounted populations, such as African Americans,
Asians, Hispanics, American Indian and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians,
and Pacific Islanders. The Bureau expects to award this communication
campaign contract in September 2007.
For the 2010 Census, the Bureau will continue a program first implemented
for Census 2000 in which it partners with local, state, and tribal
governments. The program, the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA)
allows participants to contribute to complete enumeration of their
jurisdictions by reviewing, commenting on, and providing updated
information on the list of addresses and maps that the Bureau will use to
deliver questionnaires within those communities. The Bureau has taken
steps to improve LUCA for 2010. For example, to reduce participant
workload and burden, the Bureau will provide a longer period for reviewing
and updating LUCA materials--from 90 to 120 days. However, we recently
testified before this subcommittee that the Bureau could do more to
mitigate possible difficulties that participants may have with the new
LUCA software and training and to help participants convert
Bureau-provided address files into their own software format.11
Efforts to Contract with Small Business
For the 2010 Census, the Bureau is making the most extensive use of
contractors in its history, turning to the private sector to supply a
number of different mission-critical functions and technologies. In
awarding and administering its contracts related to the 2010 Census, the
Bureau will need to be mindful of its obligations to promote contracting
opportunities for various categories of contractors, such as small
businesses, women-owned businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, and
others. In this regard, the Small Business Act contains an annual
governmentwide goal for small business participation of not less than 23
percent of the total value of all prime contract awards. To achieve this
governmentwide goal, the Small Business Administration negotiates annual
small business contracting goals with each federal executive agency. For
the Department of Commerce, the contracting goals are summarized in table
3.
11GAO, 2010 Census: Census Bureau Is Making Progress on the Local Update
of Census Addresses Program, but Improvements Are Needed [22]GAO-07-1063T
(Washington, D.C.: June 26, 2007).
Table 3: Small-Business Prime Contracting Goals for the Department of
Commerce (Fiscal Year 2007)
Small business category Goal percentage
Small Business 48
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) 12
8(a) (Socially and Economically Disadvantaged companies) 4.86
Women-Owned Business (WOSB) 8.50
Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) 3
Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) 3
Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) 3
companies
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce.
In terms of subcontracting, any business that receives a contract directly
from a federal executive agency for more than $100,000 must agree to give
small businesses the "maximum practicable opportunity to participate in
the contract consistent with its efficient performance."12 Additionally,
for contracts that are generally anticipated to have a $550,000 threshold
and have subcontracting possibilities, the prime contractor is required to
have an established subcontracting plan, which promotes and supports small
business development. For example, the solicitation for the advertising
and outreach campaign requires that the contractor establish and adhere to
a subcontracting plan that provides maximum practicable opportunity for
small business participation in performing the contract. Contractors that
do not meet subcontracting goals may face damages if the agency's
contracting officer determines that a contractor did not make a good-faith
effort to comply with the subcontracting plan.
Mr. Chairman, as we have recently testified, the Bureau faces challenges
to successfully implementing the 2010 Census including those of a
demographic and socioeconomic nature due to the nation's increasing
diversity in language, ethnicity, households, and housing types, as well
as a reluctance in the population to participate in the census. In fact,
the Bureau recognizes that hiring a diverse workforce--especially a
temporary field workforce--that is like the people that are being
enumerated is one way of eliciting the cooperation of those being counted.
The involvement of such a workforce in the key nonresponse follow-up
activity can help to increase productivity and contain enumeration costs.
Our review of data pertaining to the racial, ethnic, and gender
composition of the Bureau's upper-level management as well as the grades
of those most likely to rise to that level of management shows that, the
Bureau's leadership ranks are generally as diverse as the federal
government as a whole. Moreover, the Bureau's strategy of recruiting
temporary field staff locally is an important way of promoting a diverse
field workforce that is like those being enumerated. In addition, the
Bureau's outreach and partnership programs can be an important way of
eliciting the participation of communities that are often said to be
undercounted or may be reluctant to participate in the decennial census.
As in 2000, for 2010 the Bureau intends to use an integrated
communications strategy, including advertising, that is carried out by
contractors and subcontractors that have the expertise and experiences in
marketing to historically undercounted populations. It will be important
for the Bureau to build on its efforts to ensure an accurate and
cost-effective census by maximizing the potential offered by a diverse
workforce and by ensuring that its contractors perform as promised. We
stand ready to assist this subcommittee in its oversight efforts.
12FAR S19.702.
This concludes my remarks. I will be glad to answer any questions that
you, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Turner, or other subcommittee Members may have.
Contact and Acknowledgements
For further information regarding this statement, please contact Mathew
Scire, Director, Strategic Issues on (202) 512-6806 or at
[23][email protected] . Individuals making key contributions to this
statement included Betty Clark, Elizabeth Fan, Carlos Hazera, Belva
Martin, Lisa Pearson, Rebecca Shea, Cheri Truett, Kiki Theodoropoulos, and
William Woods.
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D.C: July 17, 2007.
2010 Census: Census Bureau Is Making Progress on the Local Update of
Census Addresses Program, but Improvements Are Needed. [25]GAO-07-1063T .
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2010 Census: Census Bureau Has Improved the Local Update of Census
Addresses Program, but Challenges Remain. [26]GAO-07-736 . Washington,
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U.S. Postal Service. [27]GAO-07-838T . Washington, D.C.: May 10, 2007.
2010 Census: Census Bureau Should Refine Recruiting and Hiring Efforts and
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[29]GAO-07-779T . Washington, D.C.: April 24, 2007.
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Costs. [30]GAO-06-1009T . Washington, D.C.: July 27, 2006.
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Planning Practices, but Continued Management Attention Is Needed to Help
Ensure Success. [33]GAO-06-277 . Washington, D.C.: May 18, 2006.
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Decennial Acquisitions Remain to be Done. [34]GAO-06-444T . Washington,
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[35]GAO-06-465T . Washington, D.C.: March 1, 2006.
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D.C.: June 16, 2005.
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[45]GAO-04-37 . Washington, D.C.: January 15, 2004.
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[48]GAO-03-227 . Washington, D.C.: January 17, 2003.
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(450618)
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[59]www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1132T .
To view the full product, including the scope
and methodology, click on the link above.
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Highlights of [60]GAO-07-1132T , a testimony before the Subcommittee on
Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform, House of Representatives
July 26, 2007
2010 CENSUS
Diversity in Human Capital, Outreach Efforts Can Benefit the 2010 Census
For the 2010 Census, the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) faces the daunting
challenge of cost-effectively counting a population that is growing
steadily larger, more diverse, increasingly difficult to find, and more
reluctant to participate in the decennial census. Managing its human
capital, maintaining community partnerships, and developing advertising
strategies to increase response rates for the decennial census are several
ways that the Bureau can complete the 2010 Census accurately and within
budget. This testimony, based primarily on past GAO work, provides
information on (1) diversity in the Bureau's workforce, (2) plans for
partnering with others in an effort to build public awareness of the
census; and (3) certain requirements for ensuring contracting
opportunities for small businesses.
[61]What GAO Recommends
At this time, GAO is not making new recommendations.
Diversity in senior leadership is important for effective government
operations. GAO found that the racial, ethnic, and gender makeup of the
Bureau's senior management and staff in grades most likely to rise to
senior management is generally in line with that of the federal government
as a whole. The success of the 2010 Census depends, in part, upon the
Bureau's ability to recruit, hire, and train a temporary workforce
reaching almost 600,000. In 2000, the Bureau used an aggressive
recruitment strategy, including advertising in various languages to
attract different ethnic groups and races, as well as senior citizens,
retirees, and others seeking part-time employment. The Bureau intends to
use a similar recruitment strategy for the 2010 Census.
Bureau's Recruiting and Hiring Timeline for Temporary Field Staff during
the 2010 Census
For 2010, the Bureau also intends to involve community and other groups to
encourage participation in the census, particularly among certain
populations, such as persons with limited English proficiency and
minorities. Further, the Bureau plans to hire a contractor to develop an
advertising campaign to reach undercounted populations. In its contract
solicitation, the Bureau has included a requirement that the contractor
establish goals for subcontracting with, amongst other groups, women-owned
and small disadvantaged businesses, and a requirement that the contractor
have experience in marketing to historically undercounted populations such
as African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, American Indian and Alaska
Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. This contract is
expected to be awarded in September 2007.
For the Bureau to leverage the benefit of its diversity and outreach
efforts, it will be important for it to follow through on its intentions
to recruit a diverse workforce, and utilize the experience of a diverse
pool of partners, including community groups, state and local governments,
and the private sector.
References
Visible links
14. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-90
15. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-90
16. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-90
17. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-838T
18. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-03-40
19. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-361
20. http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/gg00109r.pdf
21. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-01-579
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23. mailto:[email protected]
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26. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-736
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28. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-361
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31. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-272
32. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-822T
33. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-277
34. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-444T
35. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-465T
36. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-15
37. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-661
38. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-90
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41. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-71
42. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-82
43. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-898
44. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-470
45. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-37
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56. mailto:[email protected]
57. mailto:[email protected]
58. mailto:[email protected]
59. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1132T
60. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1132T
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