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The
National Academy of Public Administration established a Performance
Consortium during 1997 to assist federal agencies in the successful
implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act
and related performance-based management initiatives. The
Results Act requires executive agencies to improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of federal programs by establishing a system
to set goals for program performance and measure results.
Agencies must be able to prepare multiyear strategic plans,
annual performance plans, and annual performance reports for
OMB, Congress and the public. Recent GAO and Congressional
reporting on the status of the implementation of the Results
Act suggests that many agencies could use help in fulfilling
its requirements. The Academy'sPerformance Consortium, following seven successful years has, with the
help of Consortium members, crafted a revised, integrated,
and fast acting, responsive "Year Eight " program.
Center staff is presently contacting interested agencies and
offices to arrange a memorandum of agreement to participate
in the FY2005 program.
The Performance Consortium
The Academy's Consortium consists
of:
- a group of agencies,
- each contributing a modest amount of
funding,
- to address a core set of common questions,
- thereby reducing the cost to individual
participants.
Joining the Consortium
Under a contract between the Academy and the Department
of Commerce, more than 30 offices within various federal agencies
have signed a Memorandum of Agreement for membership.
Membership for fiscal year 2005 (Year Eight) is underway for
work plans that were developed through discussions with past
and new Consortium members. Because the work of the Performance
Consortium focuses primarily on the performance of functions
as opposed to agencies, the Academy seeks the broadest possible
representation of agency functions.
Agency-Specific Products/Services
Experience has shown that Consortium activities frequently
generate interest in specific additional products and services
that must be customized for individual agencies. As requested
and funded by those agencies, the Academy will tailor agency-specific
assistance within the broad areas of performance-based management,
including strategic planning and performance measurement.
Agency-specific assistance may include the following:
National Academy of Public
Administration
The Academy is a nonprofit organization chartered by
Congress to assist federal, state, and local governments in
improving their performance. In the last two years, more than
three dozen agencies have come to the Academy for assistance
in improving management and organization. The Academy regularly
responds to congressional requests for testimony and advice
on emerging issues of governance and the implementation of
legislation. Its insights and innovations are the result of
several factors.
1. a focus on performance
2. an objective viewpoint
3. a congressional charter
4. a guiding framework for examining governance
5. the expertise of more than 500 Fellows*
A staff of active professionals,
supplemented by persons on Intergovernmental Personnel Act
assignments, enable the individual panels of Fellows to function
effectively. Because the Academy is independent and nonpartisan,
it is insulated from political concerns, and free from ideological
agendas.
If you are interested in joining the Consortium, have
a question about it, or would like a complete information
package, please contact Richard Keevey, Director, Center for
Improving Government Performance, at 202-204-3621 or rkeevey@napawash.org.
*Fellows include current and former cabinet officers, members
of Congress, governors, mayors, legislators, diplomats, business
executives, public managers, and scholars.
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