Good news yesterday from George Mason University's Mercatus Center. Every year, the Center reviews deparment and agency performance and accountability reporting. For fiscal 2008, DOT has earned the third-place award in the Overall Performance Reporting category.
In their annual Scorecard, the judges note that only 3 points separated the top 3 overall reports. Congratulations to Labor and Veterans Affairs, the top 2 finishers.
According to Mercatus: Our scoring process evaluates (1) how transparently an agency discloses successes and failures, (2) how well an agency documents the tangible public benefits it claims, and (3) whether an agency demonstrates forward-looking leadership that uses annual performance information to devise strategies for improvement.
DOT earned top honors in 2008 for reporting on public benefits. What makes DOT public benefits reporting effective, the Scorecard says, "is that the great majority of the goals and objectives are stated as clear, measurable outcomes of obvious importance that the general public can readily understand and appreciate."
With $48 billion in stimulus money under our watch, the Mercatus acknowledgment is more important this year than ever. I hope DOT's clear reporting helps secure faith in our ability to manage these funds effectively and transparently.
A final noteworthy observation: DOT does not appear on the Scorecard's list (p. 36) of Too Many Acronyms (TMA).
I hope you manage those funds effectively too, applying them to safety and so on.
Congrats on the honor.
Posted by: David Works | May 06, 2009 at 05:54 PM