2020 CENSUS

Continued Management 

Attention Needed to 

Mitigate Key Risks 

Jeopardizing a 

Cost-Effective and 

Secure Enumeration

Statement of Robert Goldenkoff, Director, Strategic 

Issues 

and

David A. Powner, Director, Information Technology

Testimony 

Before the Subcommittee on Commerce, 

Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, 

Committee on Appropriations, House of 

Representatives

For Release on Delivery 

Expected at 10:30 a.m. ET

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

GAO-18-416T

United States Government Accountability Office
United States Government Accountability Office

Highlights of GAO-18-416T, a testimony 

before the Subcommittee on Commerce, 

Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, 

Committee on Appropriations, House of 

Representatives

April 18, 2018

2020 CENSUS

Continued Management Attention Needed to Mitigate 

Key Risks Jeopardizing a Cost-Effective and Secure 

Enumeration

What GAO Found

The Census Bureau (Bureau) is planning several innovations for the 2020 

Decennial Census, including re-engineering field operations by relying more on 

automation, using administrative records to supplement census data, verifying 

addresses in-office using on-screen imagery, and allowing the public to respond 

using the Internet. These innovations show promise for controlling costs, but they 

also introduce new risks, in part, because they have not been used extensively in 

earlier enumerations, if at all. As a result, robust testing is needed to ensure that 

key systems and operations will function as planned. However, citing budgetary 

uncertainties, the Bureau canceled its 2017 field test and then scaled back its 

2018 End-to End Test. Without sufficient testing, operational problems can go 

undiscovered and the opportunity to improve operations will be lost, as key 

census-taking activities will not be tested across a range of geographic locations, 

housing types, and demographic groups. 

The Bureau continues to face challenges in managing and overseeing the 

information technology (IT) programs, systems, and contracts supporting the 

2020 Census. For example, GAO’s ongoing work has determined that the 

schedule for developing IT systems to support the 2018 End-to-End Test has 

experienced several delays. Further, the Bureau has not addressed several 

security risks and challenges to secure its systems and data, including making 

certain that security assessments are completed in a timely manner, and that 

risks are at an acceptable level. Given that operations for the 2018 End-to-End 

Test began in August 2017, it is important that the Bureau quickly address these 

challenges. 

In addition, the Bureau needs to control any further cost growth and develop cost 

estimates that reflect best practices. In October 2017, the Department of 

Commerce announced that it had updated its October 2015 life-cycle cost

estimate and now projects the life-cycle cost of the 2020 Census will be $15.6 

billion, a more than $3 billion (27 percent) increase over its earlier estimate (see 

figure). The higher estimated life-cycle cost is due, in part, to the Bureau’s earlier

failure to meet best practices for a quality cost estimate. The Bureau provided 

GAO with the documentation used to develop the $15.6 billion cost estimate.

Based on its preliminary analysis, GAO has found that the Bureau has made 

improvements in its cost estimation process across the best practices.

Increases to the 2020 Census Life-Cycle Costs Estimated by the Census Bureau

View GAO-18-416T. For more information, 

contact Robert Goldenkoff at (202) 512-2757 

or goldenkoffr@gao.gov or David A. Powner at 

(202) 512-9286 or pownerd@gao.gov.

Why GAO Did This Study

One of the Bureau’s most important 

functions is to conduct a complete and 

accurate decennial census of the U.S. 

population. The decennial census is 

mandated by the Constitution and 

provides vital data for the nation. A 

complete count of the nation’s 

population is an enormous undertaking 

as the Bureau seeks to control the cost 

of the census, implement operational 

innovations, and use new and modified 

IT systems. In recent years, GAO has 

identified challenges that raise serious 

concerns about the Bureau’s ability to 

conduct a cost-effective count. For 

these reasons, GAO added the 2020 

Census to its high-risk list in February 

2017.

GAO was asked to testify about the 

Bureau’s progress in preparing for the 

2020 Census. To do so, GAO 

summarized its prior work regarding 

the Bureau’s planning efforts for the 

2020 Census. GAO also included 

preliminary observations from its

ongoing work examining the 2018 Endto-End Test. This information is related 

to, among other things, progress on 

key systems to be used for the 2018 

End-to-End Test, including the status 

of IT security assessments, and efforts 

to update the life-cycle cost estimate.

What GAO Recommends

Over the past decade, GAO has made 

84 recommendations specific to the 

2020 Census to address the issues 

raised in this and other products. The 

Bureau generally has agreed with the

recommendations. As of April 2018, 30

recommendations had not been fully

implemented.
Letter

Page 1 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Chairman Culberson, Ranking Member Serrano, and Members of the 

Subcommittee:

We are pleased to be here today to discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s 

(Bureau) progress in preparing for the 2020 Decennial Census.

Conducting the decennial census of the U.S. population is mandated by 

the Constitution and provides vital data for the nation. The information 

that the census collects is used to apportion the seats of the House of 

Representatives; redraw congressional districts; allocate billions of dollars 

each year in federal financial assistance; and provide a social, 

demographic, and economic profile of the nation’s people to guide policy 

decisions at each level of government. Further, businesses use census 

data to market new services and products and to tailor existing ones to 

demographic changes.

For 2020, a complete count of the nation’s population is an enormous 

undertaking. The Bureau, a component of the Department of Commerce 

(Commerce), is seeking to control the cost of the census while it 

implements several innovations and manages the processes of acquiring 

and developing information technology (IT) systems. In recent years, we 

have identified challenges that raise serious concerns about the Bureau’s 

ability to conduct a cost-effective count of the nation, including issues with 

the agency’s research, testing, planning, scheduling, cost estimation, 

systems development, and IT security practices.

Over the past decade, we have made 84 recommendations specific to the 

2020 Census to help address these and other issues. Commerce has 

generally agreed with those recommendations and has made progress in 

implementing them. However, 30 of our recommendations had not been 

fully implemented as of April 2018, although the Bureau had taken initial 

steps to implement many of them.

We also added the 2020 Decennial Census to GAO’s high-risk list in 

February 2017.1 As preparations for the next census ramp up, fully 

implementing our recommendations to address the risks jeopardizing the 

2020 Census is more critical than ever.

 1

GAO, High-Risk Series: Progress on Many High-Risk Areas, While Substantial Efforts 

Needed on Others, GAO-17-317 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 15, 2017). GAO maintains a 

high-risk program to focus attention on government operations that it identifies as high risk 

due to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or the 

need for transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges.

Letter
Page 2 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Currently, the Bureau is conducting the 2018 End-to-End Test, which 

began in August 2017 and runs through April 2019. This effort is the 

Bureau’s final opportunity to test all key systems and operations to ensure 

readiness for the 2020 Census.

Our testimony today will describe (1) why we added the decennial census 

to our high risk list, including challenges in implementing and securing IT 

systems; and (2) the steps that Commerce and the Bureau need to take 

going forward to mitigate the risks jeopardizing a cost-effective census.

The information in this statement is based primarily on prior work 

regarding the Bureau’s planning efforts for 2020.2 For that body of work, 

we reviewed, among other things, relevant Bureau documentation, 

including the 2020 Census Operational Plan; recent decisions on 

preparations for the 2020 Census; and outcomes of key IT milestone 

reviews. We also discussed the status of our recommendations with 

Commerce and Bureau staff. Other details on the scope and methodology 

for our prior work are provided in each published report on which this 

testimony is based.

In addition, we included information in this statement from our ongoing 

work on the readiness of the Bureau’s IT systems for the 2018 End-toEnd Test. Specifically, we collected and reviewed documentation on the 

status and plans for system development, testing, and security 

assessments for the 2018 End-to-End Test. This includes the Bureau’s 

integration and implementation plan, solution architecture, and 

 2

For example, GAO, 2020 Census: Actions Needed to Mitigate Key Risks Jeopardizing a 

Cost-Effective Enumeration, GAO-18-215T (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 31, 2017); 2020 

Census: Continued Management Attention Needed to Oversee Innovations, Develop and 

Secure IT Systems, and Improve Cost Estimation, GAO-18-141T (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 

12, 2017); 2020 Census: Bureau Is Taking Steps to Address Limitations of Administrative 

Records, GAO-17-664 (Washington, D.C.: July 26, 2017); 2020 Census: Bureau Needs to 

Better Leverage Information to Achieve Goals of Reengineered Address Canvassing, 

GAO-17-622 (Washington, D.C.: July 20, 2017); 2020 Census: Sustained Attention to 

Innovations, IT Systems, and Cost Estimation Is Needed, GAO-17-584T (Washington, 

D.C.: May 3, 2017); 2020 Census: Additional Actions Could Strengthen Field Data 

Collection Efforts, GAO-17-191 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 26, 2017); Information 

Technology: Better Management of Interdependencies between Programs Supporting 

2020 Census Is Needed, GAO-16-623 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 9, 2016); 2020 Census: 

Census Bureau Needs to Improve Its Life-Cycle Cost Estimating Process, GAO-16-628

(Washington, D.C.: June 30, 2016); and 2020 Census: Additional Actions Would Help the 

Bureau Realize Potential Administrative Records Cost Savings, GAO-16-48 (Washington, 

D.C.: Oct. 20, 2015).
Page 3 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

memorandums documenting outcomes of security assessments. We also 

interviewed relevant agency officials.

We provided a copy of the new information that we are reporting in this 

testimony to the Bureau for comment on April 4, 2018. The Bureau 

provided technical comments, which we addressed as appropriate.

We conducted the work on which this statement is based in accordance 

with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards 

require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate 

evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions 

based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained 

provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on 

our audit objectives.

The cost of counting the nation’s population has been escalating with 

each decade. The 2010 Census was the most expensive in U.S. history 

at about $12.3 billion, and was about 31 percent more costly than the 

$9.4 billion 2000 Census (in 2020 dollars).3 According to the Bureau, the 

total cost of the 2020 Census is now estimated to be approximately $15.6 

billion, more than $3 billion higher than previously estimated by the 

Bureau.

Moreover, as shown in figure 1, the average cost for counting a housing 

unit increased from about $16 in 1970 to around $92 in 2010 (in 2020 

dollars). At the same time, the return of census questionnaires by mail 

(the primary mode of data collection) declined over this period from 78 

percent in 1970 to 63 percent in 2010. Declining mail response rates has 

led to higher costs because the Bureau sends temporary workers to each 

non-responding household to obtain census data.

Achieving a complete and accurate census has become an increasingly 

daunting task, in part, because the population is growing larger, more 

diverse, and more reluctant to participate in the enumeration. In many 

ways, the Bureau has had to invest substantially more resources each 

decade to conduct the enumeration.

 3

According to the Bureau, these figures rely on fiscal year 2020 constant dollar factors 

derived from the Chained Price Index from “Gross Domestic Product and Deflators Used 

in the Historical Tables: 1940–2020” table from the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget of the United 

States Government.

Background
Page 4 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Figure 1: The Average Cost of Counting Each Housing Unit (in 2020 Dollars) Has 

Escalated Each Decade, While the Percentage of Mail Response Rates Has Declined

In addition to these external societal challenges that make achieving a 

complete count a daunting task, the Bureau also faces a number of 

internal management challenges that affect its capacity and readiness to 

conduct a cost-effective enumeration. Some of these issues—such as 

acquiring and developing IT systems and preparing reliable cost 

estimates—are long-standing in nature.

At the same time, as the Bureau looks toward 2020, it also faces newly 

emerging and evolving uncertainties. For example, on March 26, 2018, 

the Secretary of Commerce announced his decision to add a question to 

the decennial census on citizenship status. In our prior work we have 

noted the risks associated with late changes of any nature to the design 

of the census if the Bureau is unable to fully test those changes under 

operational conditions.

The Bureau also faced budgetary uncertainties that, according to the 

Bureau, led to the curtailment of testing in 2017 and 2018. However, the 
Page 5 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 appropriated for the Periodic 

Censuses and Programs account $2.544 billion, which more than doubles 

the Bureau’s request in the President’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget of 

$1.251 billion.4 According to the explanatory statement accompanying the 

act, the appropriation, which is available through fiscal year 2020, is 

provided to ensure the Bureau has the necessary resources to 

immediately address any issues discovered during the 2018 End-to-End 

Test, and to provide a smoother transition between fiscal year 2018 and 

fiscal year 2019.5 Moreover, according to Bureau officials, this level of 

funding helps the Bureau to complete testing and carry out other activities 

as planned.

The Bureau plans to rely heavily on both new and legacy IT systems and 

infrastructure to support the 2018 End-to-End Test and the 2020 Census 

operations. For example, the Bureau plans to deploy and use 44 systems 

in the 2018 End-to-End Test.6 Eleven of these systems are currently 

being developed or modified as part of an enterprise-wide initiative called 

Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing (CEDCaP).7 This 

initiative is a large and complex modernization program intended to 

deliver a system-of-systems to support all of the Bureau’s survey data 

collection and processing functions, rather than continuing to rely on 

unique, survey-specific systems with redundant capabilities.8

 4

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-141, Division B, Title I (Mar. 23, 

2018).

5

Joint explanatory statement of conference, 164 Cong. Rec. H2045, H2084 (daily ed. Mar. 

22, 2018) (statement of Chairman Frelinghuysen), specifically referenced in section 4 of 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-141, § 4 (Mar. 23, 2018).

6

In October 2017, we reported that the Bureau planned to use 43 systems in the 2018 

End-to-End Test. Since that time, the Bureau has added 3 systems to the system list for 

the 2018 End-to-End Test and removed 2 systems. As of March 2018, the Bureau plans to 

use 52 systems during 2020 Census operations.

7

The Bureau is pursuing enterprise-wide technology solutions intended to support other 

major surveys the Bureau conducts as well, such as the American Community Survey and 

the Economic Census. 

8

As a result of the Bureau’s challenges in implementing key IT internal controls and its 

rapidly approaching deadline for conducting the decennial census, we identified CEDCaP 

as an IT investment in need of attention in both our February 2015 and February 2017 

high-risk reports.

The Bureau Plans to Rely 

Heavily on IT for the 2018 

End-to-End Test and the 

2020 Census
Page 6 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

To support the 2018 End-to-End Test, the Bureau plans to incrementally 

deploy and use the 44 systems from December 2016 through the end of 

the test in April 2019. These systems are to be used to support the 

operations involved in the test, including address canvassing,9 selfresponse (i.e., Internet, phone, or paper), field enumeration, and 

tabulation and dissemination.

We added the 2020 Census to our list of high-risk programs in February 

2017 because (1) innovations never before used in prior enumerations 

are not expected to be fully tested, (2) the Bureau continues to face 

challenges in implementing and securing IT systems, and (3) the 

Bureau’s October 2015 cost estimate was unreliable.10 If not sufficiently 

addressed, these risks could adversely impact the cost and quality of the 

enumeration. Moreover, the risks are compounded by other factors that 

contribute to the challenge of conducting a successful census, such as 

the nation’s increasingly diverse population and concerns over personal 

privacy.

The basic design of the enumeration—mail out and mail back of the 

census questionnaire with in-person follow-up for non-respondents—has 

been in use since 1970. However, a lesson learned from the 2010 

Census and earlier enumerations is that this traditional design is no 

longer capable of cost-effectively counting the population.

In response to its own assessments, our recommendations, and studies 

by other organizations, the Bureau has fundamentally re-examined its 

approach for conducting the 2020 Census. Specifically, its plan for 2020 

includes four broad innovation areas: re-engineering field operations,

using administrative records, verifying addresses in-office, and 

developing an Internet self-response option (see table 1).

If they function as planned, the Bureau initially estimated that these 

innovations could result in savings of over $5 billion (in 2020 dollars) 

when compared to its estimates of the cost for conducting the census with 

traditional methods. However, in June 2016, we reported that the 

 9

The purpose of address canvassing is to deliver a complete and accurate address list 

and maps for enumeration purposes.

10GAO-17-317.

Key Risks Are 

Jeopardizing a CostEffective Enumeration

Key Risk #1: The Bureau 

Has Redesigned the 

Census with the Intent to 

Control Costs, but Has 

Scaled Back Critical Tests
Page 7 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Bureau’s initial life-cycle cost estimate developed in October 2015 was 

not reliable and did not adequately account for risk.11 As discussed earlier 

in this statement, the Bureau has updated its estimate from $12.3 billion 

and now estimates a life-cycle cost of $15.6 billion, which would result in 

a smaller potential savings from the innovative design than the Bureau 

originally estimated.12

Table 1: The Census Bureau (Bureau) Is Introducing Four Innovation Areas for the 

2020 Census

Innovation area Description

Re-engineered field operations The Bureau intends to automate data collection 

methods, including its case management system.

Administrative records In certain instances, the Bureau plans to reduce 

enumerator collection of data by using administrative 

records (information already provided to federal and 

state governments as they administer other 

programs).

Verifying addresses in-office To ensure the accuracy of its address list, the 

Bureau intends to use “in-office” procedures and onscreen imagery to verify addresses and reduce 

street-by-street field canvassing.

Internet self-response option The Bureau plans to offer households the option of 

responding to the survey through the Internet. The 

Bureau has not previously offered such an option on 

a large scale. 

Source: GAO analysis of Census Bureau data. | GAO-18-416T

While the planned innovations could help control costs, they also 

introduce new risks, in part, because they include new procedures and 

technology that have not been used extensively in earlier decennials, if at 

all. Our prior work has shown the importance of the Bureau conducting a 

robust testing program, including the 2018 End-to-End Test.13 Rigorous 

 11GAO-16-628.

12The historical life-cycle cost figures for prior decennials as well as the initial estimate for 

2020 provided by Commerce in October 2017 differ slightly from those reported by the 

Bureau previously. According to Commerce documents, the more recently reported 

figures are “inflated to the current 2020 Census time frame (fiscal years 2012 to 2023),”

rather than to constant 2020 dollars as the earlier figures had been. Specifically, since 

October 2017, Commerce and the Bureau have reported the October 2015 estimate for 

the 2020 Census as $12.3 billion; this is slightly different than the $12.5 billion the Bureau 

had initially reported. 

13GAO-17-622.
Page 8 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

testing is a critical risk mitigation strategy because it provides information 

on the feasibility and performance of individual census-taking activities, 

their potential for achieving desired results, and the extent to which they 

are able to function together under full operational conditions. To address 

some of these challenges we have made numerous recommendations 

aimed at improving reengineered field operations, using administrative 

records, verifying the accuracy of the address list, and securing census 

responses via the Internet.

The Bureau has held a series of operational tests since 2012, but 

according to the Bureau, it has scaled back recent tests because of 

funding uncertainties. For example, the Bureau canceled the field 

components of the 2017 Census Test including non-response follow-up, a 

key census operation.14 In November 2016, we reported that the 

cancelation of the 2017 Census Test was a lost opportunity to test, refine, 

and integrate operations and systems, and that it put more pressure on 

the 2018 End-to-End Test to demonstrate that enumeration activities will 

function under census-like conditions as needed for 2020.

However, in May 2017, the Bureau scaled back the operational scope of 

the 2018 End-to-End Test and, of the three planned test sites, only the 

Rhode Island site would fully implement the 2018 End-to-End Test. The 

Washington and West Virginia sites would test just one field operation. In 

addition, due to budgetary concerns, the Bureau decided to remove three 

coverage measurement operations (and the technology that supports 

them) from the scope of the test.15

Without sufficient testing, operational problems can go undiscovered and 

the opportunity to improve operations will be lost, in part because the 

2018 End-to-End Test is the last opportunity to demonstrate census 

technology and procedures across a range of geographic locations, 

housing types, and demographic groups. We plan to issue a report in the 

spring of 2018 on address canvassing at the three test sites.

 14In non-response follow-up, if a household does not respond to the census by a certain 

date, the Bureau will conduct an in-person visit by an enumerator to collect census data 

using a mobile device provided by the Bureau.

15Coverage measurement evaluates the quality of the census data by estimating the 

census coverage based on a post-enumeration survey.
Page 9 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

We have previously reported that the Bureau faces challenges in 

managing and overseeing IT programs, systems, and contractors 

supporting the 2020 Census. Specifically, we have noted challenges in its 

efforts to manage the schedules, contracts, costs, governance and 

internal coordination, and security for its systems. As a result of these 

challenges, the Bureau is at risk of being unable to fully implement the 

systems necessary to support the 2020 Census and conduct a costeffective enumeration. We previously recommended that the Bureau take 

action to improve its implementation and management of IT in areas such 

as governance and internal coordination.16

Our ongoing work has determined that the Bureau faces significant 

challenges in managing its schedule for developing and testing systems 

for the 2018 End-to-End Test that began in August 2017. As of April 

2018, 30 of the 44 systems in the test had completed all development 

activities, while the remaining 14 were in the process of completing these 

activities. Figure 2 summarizes the development status for the 44 

systems planned for the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of April 2018.

Figure 2: Development Status for the 44 Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

 16GAO-16-623.

Key Risk #2: The Bureau 

Continues to Face 

Challenges in 

Implementing and 

Securing IT Systems

Schedule management
Page 10 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

In addition, as of April 2018, 8 of the 44 systems had completed all testing 

activities (e.g., system and integration testing) for the 2018 End-to-End 

Test, while the remaining 36 were in the process of completing these 

activities. Figure 3 summarizes the status of testing for the 44 systems in 

the 2018 End-to-End Test. In addition, appendix I includes additional 

details about the status of development and testing for these systems.

Figure 3: Testing Status for the 44 Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of April 

2018

Nevertheless, significant development and testing work remains to be 

completed. As stated previously, the 44 systems in the test are to be 

deployed multiple times in a series of operations (such as field 

enumeration). As of April 2018, 40 of the 44 systems had deployed at 

least a portion of functionality to support operations that have already 

occurred. The remaining system development and testing work is needed 

to support the 2018 End-to-End Test operations that are in process or 

planned.

Specifically, as of April 2018, the Bureau had completed the development 

and testing for all of the systems supporting 9 of the 14 operations in the 

2018 End-to-End Test, such as in-field address canvassing and response 

processing. However, the agency was in the process of completing 

system development and testing to support the remaining 5 operations. 

These 5 operations include 1 that is in progress—field enumeration—and 
Page 11 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

4 others that are planned for the future, including group quarters17

enumeration and fraud detection. Figure 4 depicts the total number of 

systems supporting each operation, the number of systems that have 

completed development and testing, and the status of the operation.

 17Group quarters refer to college dormitories, nursing homes, and other facilities typically 

owned or managed by an entity providing housing, services, or both for the residents.
Page 12 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Figure 4: Development and Testing Status for System Operations in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of April 2018

a

In addition to non-response follow-up, field enumeration also includes operations such as 

update/leave and coverage improvement. In update/leave, listers update a housing unit’s address 

and leave a questionnaire to allow the household to self-respond. The goal of coverage improvement 

is to resolve erroneous enumerations (such as people counted in the wrong place or more than once) 

and omissions. 
Page 13 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

However, due in part to challenges experienced during systems 

development, the Bureau has delayed by several months key IT 

milestone dates (e.g., dates to begin integration testing) for 9 of the 14 

operations in the 2018 End-to-End Test. For example, the Bureau has 

moved the test readiness review date for the fraud detection operation 

from April 2018 to July 2018–a delay of 3 months—and the test readiness 

review of the group quarters field enumeration operation from October 

2017 to April 2018—a delay of 6 months. Figure 5 depicts the delays in 

the key IT milestone dates for the operations in the 2018 End-to-End 

Test, as of April 2018. In total, since August 2017, the Bureau has 

delayed the final deployment date for 19 systems supporting the 14 

operations.18 Appendix I includes additional details about the delays in 

deployment dates since August 2017 for the 44 systems in the 2018 Endto-End Test.

 18According to officials within the Bureau’s 2020 Census Systems Engineering and 

Integration office, the delays in the final deployment date for these systems are due to 

changes in the timing of the operations that the systems are supporting for the 2018 Endto-End Test. 
Page 14 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Figure 5: Delays in Key Information Technology Milestone Dates for System Operations in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

a

The systems that supported the in-office address canvassing operation were in operations and 

maintenance and did not require additional testing before in-office address canvassing.

b

In addition to non-response follow-up, field enumeration also includes operations such as 

update/leave and coverage improvement. In update/leave, listers update a housing unit’s address 

and leave a questionnaire to allow the household to self-respond. The goal of coverage improvement 

is to resolve erroneous enumerations (such as people counted in the wrong place or more than once) 

and omissions. 

We previously testified in May 2017 that the Bureau had faced similar 

challenges leading up to the 2017 Census Test, including experiencing 

delays in system development that led to compressed time frames for 

security reviews and approvals.19 Specifically, we noted that the Bureau 

 19GAO-17-584T. 
Page 15 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

did not have time to thoroughly assess the low-impact components of one 

system and complete penetration testing20 for another system prior to the 

test. Nonetheless, the Bureau’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) accepted 

the security risks and uncertainty due to compressed time frames before 

the planned deployment. We stressed that, for the 2018 End-to-End Test, 

it is important that these security assessments be completed in a timely 

manner and that risks be at an acceptable level before the systems are 

deployed.

As a result of the delays in system development and testing, the Bureau 

has had (and likely will continue to have) reduced time available to 

conduct the security reviews and approvals for the systems being used in 

the 2018 End-to-End Test. Officials in the Bureau’s Office of Information 

Security stated that the original plan was to have at least 6 to 8 weeks to 

perform security assessments for each system.

However, given the compressed time frames, Bureau officials informed us 

that, in some instances, they have had 5 to 8 days to complete certain 

assessments. As a result, the security of all system components may not 

be assessed before deployment. According to the Bureau’s Chief 

Information Security Officer, components that do not have all controls 

assessed are to be tracked until the assessments are completed, even if 

it is after the system deploys.

If the Bureau continues to experience delays in meeting development and 

testing milestones for the 2018 End-to-End Test, it may not be able to 

fully test production-level systems and operations in a census-like 

environment prior to the 2020 Census. As stated earlier, without sufficient 

testing, operational problems can go undiscovered and the opportunity to 

improve operations will be lost.

Additional System Development and Testing Planned After the 2018 

End-to-End Test

After the 2018 End-to-End Test, the Bureau still has additional system 

development and testing activities planned leading up to the 2020 

 20The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines penetration testing as 

security testing in which evaluators mimic real-world attacks in an attempt to identify ways 

to circumvent the security features of an application, system, or network. Penetration 

testing often involves issuing real attacks on real systems and data, using the same tools 

and techniques used by actual attackers.
Page 16 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Census. The Bureau plans to use a total of 52 systems in 2020 Census 

operations, including the 44 systems that are planned to be used in the 

2018 End-to-End Test, and 8 additional systems that were not included in 

the test.21 The Bureau expects that the systems used in the 2018 End-toEnd Test will need additional development and testing due to, among 

other things, new functionality to be added, the need to scale system 

performance for the number of respondents expected during the 2020 

Census, or to address system defects identified during the 2018 End-toEnd Test.

Following the 2018 End-to-End Test, the Bureau plans to develop, test, 

and deploy the 52 systems for the 2020 Census in four groups, or 

operational releases: (1) recruiting and hiring; (2) address canvassing; (3) 

self-response, non-response follow-up, and fraud detection; and (4) 

reporting and coverage measurement.22 The systems are generally 

grouped by the operation(s) they support in the 2020 Census. For 

example, the third operational release—which includes the most 

systems—has 47 systems to be used for self-response (including via the 

Internet), non-response follow-up, and fraud detection. These systems 

are expected to be deployed in November 2019 so that they will be ready 

for the Internet self-response operation, which begins in March 2020. 

Table 2 identifies the key dates for the operational releases for systems in 

the 2020 Census.

 21Several of these systems are for the coverage measurement operation, which was cut 

from the scope of the 2018 End-to-End Test. As stated previously, coverage 

measurement evaluates the quality of the census data by estimating the census coverage 

based on a post-enumeration survey.

22Similar to the 2018 End-to-End Test, a system being used in the 2020 Census may be 

deployed multiple times (with additional or new functionality) if that system is needed for 

more than one of these operations.
Page 17 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Table 2: The Census Bureau’s Planned Operational Releases for the 2020 Census, as of April 2018 

Operational release name

Number of systems 

in the operational 

release

Expected 

completion date for 

system development

Expected 

completion date for 

integration and test

Expected 

deployment date

1. Recruiting and hiring 19 May 2018 July 2018 September 2018

2. Address canvassing 26 November 2018 March 2019 May 2019

3. Self-response, nonresponse follow-up, 

and fraud detection

47 February 2019 June 2019 November 2019

4. Reporting and 

coverage 

measurement

22 October 2019 February 2020 July 2020

Source: GAO analysis of Census Bureau data. | GAO-18-416T

As planning for the 2020 Census continues, it will be important for the 

Bureau to provide adequate time for system development and testing 

activities. This will help ensure that the time available for security 

assessments is not reduced as it was in the 2017 Test, and as it has 

been, thus far, during the 2018 End-to-End Test. Without adequate time 

for completing these security assessments, the Bureau will be challenged 

in ensuring that risks are at an acceptable level before the systems are 

deployed for the 2020 Census.

Our ongoing work has also determined that the Bureau faces challenges 

in managing its significant contractor support. The Bureau is relying on 

contractor support in many areas to prepare for the 2020 Census. For 

example, it is relying on contractors to develop a number of systems and 

components of the IT infrastructure. These activities include (1) 

developing the IT platform (as part of the CEDCaP program) that is 

intended to be used to collect data from households responding via the 

Internet and telephone, and for non-response follow-up activities; (2) 

procuring the mobile devices and cellular service to be used for nonresponse follow-up;23 and (3) deploying the IT and telecommunications 

hardware in the field offices. According to Bureau officials, contractors are 

also providing support in areas such as fraud detection, cloud computing 

services, and disaster recovery.

 23In non-response follow-up, if a household does not respond to the census by a certain 

date, the Bureau will send out employees to visit the home. The Bureau’s plan is for these 

enumerators to use a census application, on a mobile device provided by the Bureau, to 

capture the information given to them by the in-person interviews.

Contract management
Page 18 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

In addition to the development of technology, the Bureau is relying on a 

technical integration contractor to integrate all of the key systems and 

infrastructure. The Bureau awarded a contract to integrate the 2020 

Census systems and infrastructure in August 2016. The contractor’s work 

was to include evaluating the systems and infrastructure and acquiring 

the infrastructure (e.g., cloud or data center) to meet the Bureau’s 

scalability and performance needs. It was also to include integrating all of 

the systems, supporting technical testing activities, and developing plans 

for ensuring the continuity of operations. Since the contract was awarded, 

the Bureau has modified the scope to also include assisting with 

operational testing activities, conducting performance testing for two 

Internet self-response systems, and providing technical support for the 

implementation of the paper data capture system.

However, our ongoing work has determined that the Bureau is facing 

staffing challenges that could impact its ability to manage and oversee the 

technical integration contractor. Specifically, the Bureau is managing the 

integration contractor through a government program management office, 

but this office is still filling vacancies. As of February 2018, the Bureau 

reported that 34 of the office’s 58 federal employee positions were 

vacant. As a result, this program management office may not be 

sufficiently staffed to provide adequate oversight of contractor cost, 

schedule, and performance.

The development and testing schedule delays during the 2017 Test and 

preparations for the 2018 End-to-End Test raise concerns about the 

Bureau’s ability to effectively perform contractor management. As we 

reported in November 2016, a greater reliance on contractors for these 

components of the 2020 Census requires the Bureau to focus on sound 

management and oversight of the key contracts, projects, and systems.24

The Bureau faces challenges in controlling IT cost growth. Specifically, 

the Bureau’s October 2015 cost estimate included about $3.41 billion in 

total IT costs for fiscal years 2012 through 2023. These included costs 

for, among other things, system engineering, test and evaluation, and 

infrastructure, as well as for a portion of the CEDCaP program.25

 24GAO, Information Technology: Uncertainty Remains about the Bureau’s Readiness for a 

Key Decennial Census Test, GAO-17-221T (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 16, 2016).

25The 2020 program pays for a portion of the costs for the CEDCaP program. According 

to the October 2015 estimate, the portion of CEDCaP costs associated with the 2020 

Census was estimated at $328 million of the $548 million total program estimate.

IT cost growth
Page 19 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

However, in October 2017, we reported26 that IT costs would likely be at 

least $4.8 billion due to increases in costs associated with the CEDCaP 

program27 and certain IT contracts (including those associated with 

technical integration and mobile devices).

In December 2017, the Bureau reported that its estimated IT costs had 

grown from $3.41 billion to $4.97 billion—an increase of $1.56 billion. 

Figure 6 identifies the Bureau estimate of total IT costs associated with 

the 2020 program as of December 2017.

Figure 6: Total Information Technology Costs Estimated by the Census Bureau, as 

of December 2017

The cost increases were due, in large part, to the Bureau (1) updating the 

cost estimate for the CEDCaP program, (2) including an estimate for 

technical integration services, and (3) updating costs related to other 

major contracts (such as mobile device as a service).28 Table 3 describes 

the IT costs that comprised the Bureau’s cost estimate as of December 

2017.

 26GAO-18-215T. 

27In May 2017, the Bureau reported that the CEDCaP program’s cost estimate was 

increasing by about $400 million—from its original estimate of $548 million in 2013 to a 

revised estimate of $965 million in May 2017.

28As part of mobile device as a service, the Bureau plans to provide mobile devices 

(including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops) and cellular service to field staff to support 

operations such as address canvassing and non-response follow-up.
Page 20 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Table 3: Total 2020 Census Information Technology (IT) Costs Estimated by the 

Census Bureau, by Cost Category, as of December 2017

IT cost category

Expected cost 

(in millions)

Technical integration services $1,492

Census questionnaire assistance $817

Other IT services, such as day-to-day IT support $808

Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing 

(CEDCaP) costs related to the 2020 Census

$509a

Decennial device as a service $489

Field IT deployment $450

Other non-CEDCaP systems, such as recruitment and 

personnel systems

$401

Total $4,966

Source: GAO analysis of Census Bureau data. | GAO-18-416T

a

The 2020 program pays for a portion of the costs for the CEDCaP program. As of May 2017, the 

Census Bureau estimated that the entire cost of the CEDCaP program would be about $965 million.

IT cost information that is accurately reported and clearly communicated 

is necessary to help ensure that Congress and the public have 

confidence that taxpayer funds are being spent in an appropriate manner. 

However, the amount of cost growth since the October 2015 estimate 

raises questions as to whether the Bureau has a complete understanding 

of the IT costs associated with the 2020 program. In December 2017, the 

Bureau provided us with the documentation used to develop the updated 

cost-estimate, and we are reviewing these materials as part of our 

continuing body of work on the 2020 Census.

Effective governance can drive change, provide oversight, and ensure 

accountability for results. Further, effective IT governance was envisioned 

in the statutory provisions enacted in 2014 and referred to as the Federal 

Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA),29 which 

strengthened and reinforced the role of the departmental CIO. The 

component CIO (such as the Bureau’s CIO) also plays a role in effective 

IT governance, as the component is subject to the oversight and policies 

of the parent department implementing FITARA.

 29Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘Buck’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

Year 2015, Pub. L. No. 113-291, div. A, title VIII, subtitle D, 128 Stat. 3292, 3438-50 (Dec. 

19, 2014).

Governance and internal 

coordination
Page 21 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Our ongoing work has determined that officials in Commerce’s Office of 

the Secretary have increased their oversight of the Bureau’s preparations 

for the 2020 Census by holding regular meetings to discuss contracts, 

expected costs, and risks, among other topics. For example, Bureau 

officials reported that they have recently begun meeting with the

Secretary of Commerce on a monthly basis and with the Under Secretary 

of Commerce for Economic Affairs on a weekly basis to discuss 2020 

Census issues. Moreover, the department’s Acting CIO has also been 

involved in overseeing the Bureau’s IT system readiness. The Bureau has 

also appointed two new assistant directors within the Decennial 

Directorate. Each of these individuals is responsible for overseeing 

aspects of the 2020 Census program, to include schedules, contracts, 

and system development.

In addition, to ensure executive-level oversight of the key systems and 

technology, the Bureau’s CIO (or a designated representative) is to be a 

member of the governance boards that oversee all of the operations and 

technology for the 2020 Census. However, in August 2016 we reported 

on challenges that the Bureau has had with IT governance and internal 

coordination, including weaknesses in its ability to monitor and control IT 

project costs, schedules, and performance.30 We made eight 

recommendations to the Secretary of Commerce to direct the Bureau to, 

among other things, better ensure that risks are adequately identified and 

schedules are aligned. The department agreed with our 

recommendations. As of April 2018, the Bureau had fully implemented 

five of the recommendations and had taken initial steps toward 

implementing the other three recommendations.

Further, given the schedule delays and cost increases previously 

mentioned, and the vast amount of development, testing, and security 

assessments left to be completed, we remain concerned about executivelevel oversight of systems and security. Moving forward, it will be 

important that the CIO and other Bureau executives continue to use a 

collaborative governance approach to effectively manage risks and 

ensure that the IT solutions meet the needs of the agency within cost and 

schedule.

In November 2016, we described the significant challenges that the 

Bureau faced in securing systems and data for the 2020 Census, and we 

 30GAO-16-623.

Information security
Page 22 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

noted that tight time frames could exacerbate these challenges.31 Two 

such challenges were (1) ensuring that individuals gain only limited and 

appropriate access to the 2020 Census data, including personally 

identifiable information (PII), such as name, personal address, and date 

of birth; and (2) making certain that security assessments were completed 

in a timely manner and that risks were at an acceptable level.32 Protecting 

PII, for example, is especially important because a majority of the 44 

systems to be used in the 2018 End-to-End Test contain such 

information, as reflected in figure 7.33

Figure 7: Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in Census Bureau Systems 

Included in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of February 2018

 31GAO-17-584T.

32GAO-17-221T.

33According to officials in the Bureau’s Office of Information Security, 26 systems contain 

data that is protected from disclosure under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. This law protects 

information provided by the public for the Bureau’s censuses and surveys and requires 

that the Bureau keep it confidential. The Bureau may not disclose or publish any private 

information that identifies an individual or business, such as names, addresses, Social 

Security numbers, and telephone numbers. 13 U.S.C. § 9.
Page 23 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

To address these and other challenges, federal law specifies 

requirements for protecting federal information and information systems, 

such as those systems to be used in the 2020 Census. Specifically, the 

Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 and the Federal 

Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) require executive 

branch agencies to develop, document, and implement an agency-wide 

program to provide security for the information and information systems 

that support operations and assets of the agency.34

Accordingly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

developed risk management framework guidance for agencies to follow in 

developing information security programs.35 In addition, the Office of 

Management and Budget’s (OMB) revised Circular A-130 on managing 

federal information resources required agencies to implement the NIST 

risk management framework to integrate information security and risk 

management activities into the system development life cycle.36

In accordance with FISMA, NIST guidance, and OMB guidance, the 

Bureau’s Office of the CIO established a risk management framework. 

This framework requires system developers to ensure that each of the 

Bureau’s systems undergoes a full security assessment, and that system 

developers remediate critical deficiencies. In addition, according to the 

framework, system developers are to ensure that each component of a 

system has its own system security plan that documents how the Bureau 

intends to implement security controls. As a result of this requirement, 

system developers for a single system might develop multiple system 

security plans which all have to be approved as part of the system’s 

complete security documentation.

According to the Bureau’s framework, each of the 44 systems in the 2018 

End-to-End Test will need to have complete security documentation (such 

 34The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, Pub. L. No. 113-283, 128 

Stat. 3073 (Dec. 18, 2014) largely superseded the Federal Information Security 

Management Act of 2002, enacted as Title III, E-Government Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 

107-347, 116 Stat. 2899, 2946 (Dec. 17, 2002).

35NIST, Guide for Applying the Risk Management Framework to Federal Information 

Systems: A Security Life Cycle Approach, SP 800-37, Revision 1 (Gaithersburg, Md.: 

February 2010).

36OMB, Revision of OMB Circular A-130, Managing Federal Information as a Strategic 

Resource (Washington, D.C.: July 28, 2016).
Page 24 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

as system security plans) and an approved authorization to operate37

prior to its use in the 2018 End-to-End Test. However, our ongoing work 

indicates that, while the Bureau is completing these steps for the 44 

systems to be used in the 2018 End-to-End Test, significant work 

remains. Specifically:

• Six of the 44 systems are fully authorized to operate through the 

completion of the 2018 End-to-End Test.

• Thirty-two systems have a current authorization to operate, but the 

Bureau will need to reauthorize these systems before the completion 

of the 2018 End-to-End Test. Bureau officials in the CIO’s Office of 

Information Security stated that these systems will need to be 

reauthorized because, among other things, they have additional 

development work planned that may require the systems to be 

reauthorized; are being moved to a different infrastructure 

environment (e.g., from a data center to a cloud-based environment); 

or have a current authorization that expires before the completion of 

the 2018 End-to-End Test.

• Six systems have not yet obtained an authorization to operate.

Figure 8 summarizes the authorization to operate status for the systems 

being used in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as reported by the Bureau.

 37According to the Bureau’s framework, systems are to obtain security authorization 

approval from the authorizing official in order to operate. Specifically, the authorizing 

official evaluates the security authorization package and provides system authorization if 

the overall risk level is acceptable. In addition, according to the Bureau’s IT security 

program policy, the issuance of an authorization to operate for a system requires support 

of both the technical authorizing official (i.e., the CIO) and the business authorizing official 

responsible for funding and managing the system (i.e., the Associate Director for 

Decennial Census Programs). Further, according to the Bureau’s framework, once a 

system obtains an authorization, it is transitioned to the continuous monitoring process 

where the authorizing official can provide implicit, continued authorization for system 

operation as long as the risk level remains acceptable.
Page 25 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

Figure 8: Authorization to Operate Status for 44 Systems Being Used in the Census 

Bureau’s 2018 End-to-End Test, as of April 2018

Because many of the systems that will be a part of the 2018 End-to-End 

Test are not yet fully developed, the Bureau has not finalized all of the 

security controls to be implemented; assessed those controls; developed 

plans to remediate control weaknesses; and determined whether there is 

time to fully remediate any deficiencies before the systems are needed for 

the test. In addition, as discussed earlier, the Bureau is facing system 

development and testing challenges that are delaying the completion of 

milestones and compressing the time available for security testing 

activities.

Further, while the large-scale technological changes (such as Internet 

self-response) increase the likelihood of efficiency and effectiveness 

gains, they also introduce many information security challenges. The 

2018 End-to-End Test also involves collecting PII on hundreds of 

thousands of households across the country, which further increases the 

need to properly secure these systems. Thus, it will be important that the 

Bureau provides adequate time to perform these security assessments, 
Page 26 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

completes them in a timely manner, and ensures that risks are at an 

acceptable level before the systems are deployed.

In October 2017, Commerce announced that it had updated its October 

2015 life-cycle cost estimate and now projects the life-cycle cost of the 

2020 Census will be $15.6 billion, more than a $3 billion (27 percent) 

increase over the Bureau’s earlier estimate. The higher estimated lifecycle cost is due, in part, as we reported in June 2016, to the Bureau’s 

failure to meet best practices for a quality cost-estimate. Specifically, we 

reported that, although the Bureau had taken steps to improve its 

capacity to carry out an effective cost estimate, such as establishing an 

independent cost estimation office, its October 2015 version of the 

estimate for the 2020 Census only partially met two characteristics of a 

reliable cost estimate (comprehensive and accurate) and minimally met 

the other two (well-documented and credible). We also reported that risks 

were not properly accounted for in the cost estimate.38

We recommended that the Bureau take action to ensure its 2020 Census 

cost estimate meets all four characteristics of a reliable cost estimate, as 

well as properly account for risk to ensure there are appropriate levels for 

budgeted contingencies. The Bureau agreed with our recommendations. 

In response, Commerce reported that in May, 2017, a multidisciplinary 

team was created to evaluate the 2020 Census program and to produce 

an independent cost estimate.

Factors driving the increased cost estimate include changes to 

assumptions relating to self-response rates, wage levels for temporary 

census workers, as well as the fact that major contracts and IT scale-up 

plans and procedures were not effectively planned, managed, and 

executed. The new estimate also includes a contingency of 10 percent of 

estimated costs per year as insurance against “unknown-unknowns,”

such as a major cybersecurity event.

The Bureau has provided us with the documentation used to develop the 

$15.6 billion cost estimate. We are reviewing these documents to 

determine the reliability of the estimate using our cost guide.39 In order for 

 38GAO-16-628.

39GAO, GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and 

Managing Capital Program Costs (Supersedes GAO-07-1134SP), GAO-09-3SP 

(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 2, 2009).

Key Risk #3: The Bureau 

Will Need to Control Any 

Further Cost Growth and 

Develop Cost Estimates 

That Reflect Best 

Practices
Page 27 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

the new estimate to be deemed high quality, and, thus, the basis for any 

2020 Census annual budgetary figures, the new cost-estimate will need 

to address the following four characteristics:

• Comprehensive. To be comprehensive an estimate should have 

enough detail to ensure that cost elements are neither omitted nor 

double-counted, and all cost-influencing assumptions are detailed in 

the estimate’s documentation, among other things, according to best 

practices. 

• Accurate. Accurate estimates are unbiased and contain few 

mathematical mistakes.

• Well-documented. Cost estimates are considered valid if they are 

well-documented to the point they can be easily repeated or updated 

and can be traced to original sources through auditing, according to 

best practices.

• Credible. Credible cost estimates must clearly identify limitations due 

to uncertainty or bias surrounding the data or assumptions, according 

to best practices.

Based on our preliminary analysis, we have found that the Bureau has 

made improvements in its cost estimation process across the four 

characteristics. We plan to issue a report in the summer of 2018 on the 

revised estimate’s reliability.
Page 28 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

The difficulties facing the Bureau’s preparation for the decennial census 

in such areas as planning and testing; managing and overseeing IT 

programs, systems, and contractors supporting the enumeration; 

developing reliable cost estimates; prioritizing decisions; managing 

schedules; and other challenges, are symptomatic of deeper 

organizational issues.

Following the 2010 Census, a key lesson learned for 2020 that we 

identified was ensuring that the Bureau’s organizational culture and 

structure, as well as its approach to strategic planning, human capital 

management, internal collaboration, knowledge sharing, capital decisionmaking, risk and change management, and other internal functions are 

aligned toward delivering more cost-effective outcomes.40

The Bureau has made improvements over the last decade, and continued 

progress will depend in part on sustaining efforts to strengthen risk 

management activities, enhancing systems testing, bringing in 

experienced personnel to key positions, implementing our 

recommendations, and meeting regularly with officials from its parent 

agency, Commerce. Going forward, we have reported that the key 

elements needed to make progress in high-risk areas are top-level 

attention by the administration and agency officials to (1) leadership 

commitment, (2) ensuring capacity, (3) developing a corrective action 

plan, (4) regular monitoring, and (5) demonstrated progress. Although 

 40GAO, 2010 Census: Preliminary Lesson Learned Highlight the Need for Fundamental 

Reforms, GAO-11-496T (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 6, 2011).

Continued 

Management 

Attention Needed to 

Keep Preparations on 

Track and Help 

Ensure a CostEffective Enumeration

2020 Challenges Are 

Symptomatic of Deeper 

Long-Term Organizational 

Issues
Page 29 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

important steps have been taken in at least some of these areas, overall, 

far more work is needed.41 We discuss three of five areas below.

The Secretary of Commerce has taken several actions towards 

demonstrating leadership commitment. For example, the previously 

noted multidisciplinary review team included members with Bureau 

leadership experience, as well as members with private sector technology 

management experience. Additional program evaluation and the 

independent cost estimate was produced by a team from the Commerce 

Secretary’s Office of Acquisition Management that included a member 

detailed from OMB. We have met with the Under Secretary of Commerce 

for Economic Affairs at her invitation to discuss oversight priorities, 

Commerce’s commitment to them, as well as the progress on high risk 

areas. Commerce reports that other senior officials are now also actively 

involved in the management and oversight of the decennial. Likewise, 

with respect to monitoring progress, the Commerce Secretary reports 

having weekly 2020 Census oversight reviews with senior Bureau staff 

and will require metric tracking and program execution status on a realtime basis.

On the other hand, demonstrating the capacity to address high risk 

concerns remains a challenge. For example, as stated earlier, the Bureau 

is facing staffing challenges that could impact its ability to manage and 

oversee the technical integration contractor. Specifically, the Bureau is 

managing the integration contractor through a government program 

management office, but this office is still filling vacancies. As previously 

discussed, the Bureau reported that 34 of 58, or almost 60 percent, of the 

office’s federal employee positions were vacant as of February 2018. As 

a result, this program management office may not be able to provide 

adequate oversight of contractor cost, schedule, and performance.

In the months ahead, we will continue to monitor the Bureau’s progress in 

addressing in each of the five elements essential for reducing the risk to a 

cost-effective enumeration.

At a time when strong Bureau management is needed, vacancies in the 

agency’s two top positions—Director and Deputy Director—are not helpful 

for keeping 2020 preparations on-track. These vacancies are due to the 

 41GAO-17-317.

Strong Bureau Leadership 

Will Be Critical for Keeping 

Efforts On-Track
Page 30 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

previous director’s retirement on June 30, 2017, and the previous deputy 

director’s appointment to be the Chief Statistician of the United States 

within OMB in January 2017. Although interim leadership has since been 

named, there are upcoming key decisions that would more effectively be 

made by permanent leadership. In our prior work we have noted how 

openings in the Bureau’s top position makes it difficult to ensure 

accountability and continuity, as well as to develop and sustain efforts 

that foster change, produce results, mitigate risks, and control costs over 

the long term. For example, in September 2018 the Bureau is scheduled 

to decide what types of challenges it will allow state, tribal, or local 

governments to make to their official 2020 Census results.

The director of the Bureau is appointed by the President, by and with the 

advice and consent of the Senate, without regard to political affiliation. 

The director’s term is a fixed 5-year term of office.42 An individual may be 

reappointed but may not serve more than two full terms as director. The 

director’s position was first filled this way beginning on January 1, 2012, 

and cycles every fifth year thereafter. Because the new term began on 

January 1, 2017, the time that elapses until a new director is confirmed 

counts against the 5-year term of office. As a result, the next director’s 

first term will be less than 5 years.

Going forward, filling these top two positions should be an important 

priority. On the basis of our prior work, key attributes of a census director, 

in addition to the obvious ones of technical expertise and the ability to 

lead large, long-term and high risk programs, could include abilities in the 

following areas:

• Strategic Vision. The director needs to build a long-term vision for 

the Bureau that extends beyond the current decennial census. 

Strategic planning, human-capital succession planning, and life-cycle 

cost estimates for the Bureau all span the decade.

• Sustaining Stakeholder Relationships. The director needs to 

continually expand and develop working relationships and 

partnerships with governmental, political, and other professional 

officials in both the public and private sectors to obtain their input, 

support, and participation in the Bureau’s activities.

• Accountability. The life-cycle cost for a decennial census spans a 

decade, and decisions made early in the decade about the next 

 4213 U.S.C. § 21(a)-(b)(1).
Page 31 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

decennial census guide the research, investments, and tests carried 

out throughout the decennial census. Institutionalizing accountability 

over an extended period may help long-term decennial initiatives 

provide meaningful and sustainable results.43

Over the past several years we have issued numerous reports that 

underscored the fact that, if the Bureau was to successfully meet its cost 

savings goal for the 2020 Census, the Bureau needed to take significant 

actions to improve its research, testing, planning, scheduling, cost 

estimation, system development, and IT security practices. As previously 

stated, over the past decade, we have made 84 recommendations 

specific to the 2020 Census to help address these and other issues. The 

Bureau has generally agreed with those recommendations and has taken 

action to address them. However, 30 of the recommendations had not 

been fully implemented as of April 2018, although the Bureau had taken 

initial steps to implement many of them. We have designated 21 of these 

84 recommendations as a priority for Commerce and 6 have been 

implemented. In August 2017, we sent the Secretary of Commerce a 

letter that identified our open priority recommendations at the department, 

15 of which concern the 2020 Census.44 We believe that attention to 

these recommendations is essential for a cost-effective enumeration. The 

recommendations included implementing reliable cost estimation and 

scheduling practices in order to establish better control over program 

costs, as well as taking steps to better position the Bureau to develop an 

Internet response option for the 2020 Census.

On October 3, 2017, in response to our August 2017 letter, the 

Commerce Secretary noted that he shared our concerns about the 2020 

Census and acknowledged that some of the programs had not worked as 

planned, and are not delivering the savings that were promised. The 

Commerce Secretary also stated that he intends to improve the 

timeliness for implementing our recommendations.

We meet quarterly with Bureau officials to discuss the progress and 

status of open recommendations related to the 2020 Census, which has 

 43GAO, 2010 Census: Data Collection Operations Were Generally Completed as Planned, 

but Long-standing Challenges Suggest Need for Fundamental Reforms, GAO-11-193 

(Washington, D.C.: Dec. 14, 2010).

44The 15 priority recommendations for the 2020 Census cover the period from November 

2009 to July 2017. 

Further Actions Needed on 

Our Recommendations
Page 32 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

resulted in Bureau actions in recent months leading to closure of some 

recommendations. We are encouraged by this commitment by Commerce 

and the Bureau in addressing our recommendations. Implementing our 

recommendations in a complete and timely manner is important because 

it could improve the management of the 2020 Census and help to 

mitigate continued risks.

In conclusion, while the Bureau has made progress in revamping its 

approach to the census, it faces considerable challenges and 

uncertainties in (1) implementing key cost-saving innovations and 

ensuring they function under operational conditions; (2) managing the 

development and security of IT systems; and (3) developing a quality cost 

estimate for the 2020 Census and preventing further cost increases. 

Without timely and appropriate actions, these challenges could adversely 

affect the cost, accuracy, schedule, and security of the enumeration. For 

these reasons, the 2020 Census is a GAO high risk area.

Going forward, continued management attention and oversight will be 

vital for ensuring that risks are managed, preparations stay on-track, and 

the Bureau is held accountable for implementing the enumeration, as 

planned. We will continue to assess the Bureau’s efforts to conduct a 

cost-effective and secure enumeration and look forward to keeping 

Congress informed of the Bureau’s progress.

Chairman Culberson, Ranking Member Serrano, and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this completes our prepared statement. We would be 

pleased to respond to any questions that you may have.
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 33 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

As part of its 2018 End-to-End Test, the Census Bureau (Bureau) plans to 

deploy 44 systems incrementally to support key operations from 

December 2016 through the end of the test in April 2019. These 

operations include address canvassing, self-response (i.e., Internet, 

phone, or paper), field enumeration, and tabulation and dissemination. 

According to the Bureau, a single system may be deployed multiple times 

throughout the test (with additional or new functionality) if that system is 

needed for more than one of these operations.

Table 1 describes the status of development and testing, and describes if 

a portion of functionality has been deployed for each system in the 2018 

End-to-End Test. The table also describes key system deployment dates 

and the delay in these dates since August 2017.

Table 1: Development, Testing, and Deployment Status for the 44 Systems in the Census Bureau’s 2018 End-to-End Test, as 

of April 2018

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

1. Block Assessment, Review and 

Classification Application

Interactive review tool that is designed to assist 

an analyst in assessing a set of geographic work 

units.

Complete Complete December 2016 n/a Yes

2. OneForm Designer Plus

Tool that creates paper forms including decennial 

questionnaires, letters, envelopes, notices of 

visit, language guides, and other Decennial field 

and public materials.

Complete Complete March 2017 n/a Yes

3. Census Document System

Web-based system for requesting forms design 

services, publications and graphics services, and 

printing services.

Complete Complete March 2017 September 

2017

Yes

4. MOJO Recruiting Dashboard

System that provides a dashboard to show 

recruiting metrics.

Complete Complete March 2017 June 2018 Yes

5. Matching and Coding Software

System that allows for clerical matching and 

geocoding during Non-ID Processing.

Complete Complete February 2018 n/a Yes

Appendix I: Status of Development and 

Testing for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End 

Test, as of April 2018
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 34 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

6. Real Time Non-ID Processing

System that matches addresses in real-time, 

geocodes addresses in real-time, and geolocates housing units using web map services.

Complete Complete February 2018 n/a Yes

7. Enterprise Censuses and Surveys 

Enabling (ECaSE) – Internet Self 

Response (ISR)

Tool that supports self-response data collection 

by the Internet for respondents and by call center 

agents on behalf of respondents.

Complete Complete March 2018

(1-month delay)

n/a Yes

8. 2020 Website

Website for the 2018 End-to-End Test, the scope 

encompasses the Test’s internet presence 

needs. 

Complete Complete June 2018 January 2019 Yes

9. Master Address File/Topologically 

Integrated Geographic Encoding 

and Referencing System

Database that contains, manages, and controls a 

repository of spatial and non-spatial data used to 

provide extracts to define census operations, 

provide maps, and support Web applications.

Complete In progressb December 2016 October 2018 Yes

10. Census Hiring and Employment Check

Administrative system that automates the 

clearance processing of all personnel at Census 

Bureau Headquarters, the Bureau of Economic 

Analysis, The Regional Offices, the National 

Processing Center, and two Computer Assisted 

Telephone Interview sites.

Complete In progressb March 2017 June 2018

(4-month 

delay)c

Yes

11. Census Human Resources Information 

System

Web-based personal information tool providing 

personnel and payroll information on desktops.

Complete In progressb March 2017 July 2018 Yes

12. Commerce Business System

System that collects and reports labor hours and 

costs for the activities that the National 

Processing Center performs.

Complete In progressb March 2017 July 2018 Yes

13. Decennial Applicant, Personnel and 

Payroll Systems

System that supports personnel and payroll 

administration for temporary, intermittent Census 

Bureau employees participating in the 2018 Endto-End test.

Complete In progress March 2017 July 2018

(11-month 

delay)c

Yes
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 35 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

14. Decennial Service Center

Suite of systems to handle all IT service requests 

initiated by field staff.

Complete In progress March 2017 July 2018 Yes

15. Desktop Services

Suite of systems that includes chat.

Complete In progress March 2017 July 2018 Yes

16. Recruiting and Assessment

Tool that provides capabilities for applicant 

recruiting and the applicant pre-selection 

assessment process.

Complete In progress March 2017 July 2018

(5-month 

delay)c

Yes

17. Identity Management System

System used to ensure that the right individuals 

have access to the right resources at the right 

times for the right reasons.

Complete In progressb March 2017 January 2019 Yes

18. Listing and Mapping Application

Single instrument that enables field users to 

capture and provide accurate listing and mapping 

updates to the Master Address File/Topologically 

Integrated Geographic Encoding and 

Referencing Database.

Complete In progress July 2017 April 2018 

(1-month 

delay)

Yes

19. Mobile Case Management

Tool that provides mobile device-level survey 

case management and dashboards, and 

manages data transmissions and other 

applications on the mobile device.

Complete In progress July 2017 April 2018 

(1-month 

delay)

Yes

20. Geospatial Services

Tool that provides vintage imagery service, 

internal current imagery service, public current 

imagery service, mapping services.

Complete In progressb July 2017 July 2018 Yes

21. Service Oriented Architecture

Enterprise software architecture model used for 

designing and implementing communication 

between mutually interacting software 

applications in a service-oriented architecture.

Complete In progress July 2017 July 2018 Yes

22. MOJO Optimizer/Modeling

Service to optimize the field workers’ routes.

Complete In progress August 2017 April 2018 

(1-month 

delay)

Yes

23. Integrated Logistics Management System

System to manage logistics and resource 

planning.

Complete In progress August 2017 July 2018 Yes
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 36 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

24. National Processing Center Printing

Service that provides printing services for lowvolume forms and merges static form and 

variable data, such as printing a standard form 

with unique addresses.

Complete In progressb August 2017 July 2018 Yes

25. Automated Tracking and Control

Tool that provides customer, employee, and 

workflow management by automating business 

and support activities. It provides outbound call 

tracking for Geographic Partnership Programs 

and material tracking and check-in.

Complete In progress February 2018 July 2018 Yes

26. Concurrent Analysis and Estimation 

System

System that stores data and uses it to execute 

statistical models in support of survey flow 

processing, analysis, and control.

Complete In progressd March 2018 n/a Yes

27. Census Questionnaire Assistance

Provides call center capability for self-response 

and assists respondents with responding to and 

completing census questionnaires.

Complete In progress March 2018

(1-month delay)

April 2018 

(1-month 

delay)

Yes

28. Decennial Physical Access System

System that maintains the photo and other 

information relating to providing physical access 

control to facilities. It also is used to generate 

badges for certain employees, including 

enumerators, listers, and Census Field 

Supervisors.

Complete In progressb March 2018 June 2018 Yes

29. Census Image Retrieval Application

Application that provides secure access to 

census data and digital images of the 

questionnaires from which the data were 

captured.

Complete In progressb March 2018

(1-month delay)

July 2018

(5-month 

delay)c

Yes

30. Integrated Computer Assisted Data Entry

Tool that captures paper responses from 

questionnaires.

Complete In progress March 2018

(1-month delay)

July 2018 Yes

31. Unified Tracking System

Data warehouse that combines data from a 

variety 

of Census systems, bringing the data to one 

place where the users can run or create reports 

to analyze survey and resource performance.

In progress In progress December 2016 October 2018

(7-month 

delay)c

Yes
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 37 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

32. ECaSE – Field Operational Control 

System

System that manages field assignments with 

routing optimizer, reviews and approves field 

worker’s time and expense, and tracks field 

worker’s performance.

In progress In progress July 2017 July 2018

(4-month 

delay)c

Yes

33. ECaSE Operational Control System

System that manages the data collection 

universe 

for all enumeration operations, maintains 

operational workloads, and provides alerts to 

management.

In progress In progress August 2017 July 2018

(4-month 

delay)c

Yes

34. Sampling, Matching, Reviewing, and 

Coding System

System that supports quality control for field 

operations.

In progress In progress August 2017 October 2018

(7-month 

delay)c

Yes

35. Intelligent Postal Tracking Service

Mail tracking system developed by the Census 

Bureau and the U.S. Postal Service system to 

trace individual mail pieces during transit.

In progress In progress February 2018 July 2018 Yes

36. Control and Response Data System

System that provides a sample design and 

universe determination for the Decennial Census

In progress In progress February 2018 October 2018 Yes

37. Census Data Lake

Repository for response data, supports data 

ingest, and storage, and provides data access to 

reporting and analytics applications.

In progress In progress February 2018 January 2019 Yes

38. Decennial Response Processing System

System that performs data processing on the raw 

response data and stores the final processed 

response data for long term storage.

In progress In progress March 2018

(1-month delay)

January 2019 Yes

39. Production Environment for 

Administrative Records Staging, 

Integration and Storage

Tool that manages Administrative Records and 

provide services associated with those records.

In progress In progress March 2018

(1-month delay)

January 2019

(10-month 

delay)c

Yes

40. ECaSE – Enumeration

Tool that captures survey responses collected by 

door-to-door enumeration, records contact 

attempts, and collects employee availability and 

time and expenses.

In progress In progress March 2018

(1-month delay)

July 2018

(4-month 

delay)c

Yes
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 38 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

System name and description

Status of 

development

Status of 

testing 

Expected/ 

actual first 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Expected/ 

actual final 

deployment 

datea (delay 

since August 

2017)

Has at least 

a portion of 

the system’s 

functionality 

been 

deployed?

41. Centurion

Tool that provides an external interface for the 

upload of group quarters electronic response 

data.

In progress In progress July 2018

(4-month delay)

n/a No

42. Fraud Detection System

System that identifies fraudulent responses 

either 

in real-time or post data collection.

In progress In progress October 2018

(8-month delay)

n/a No

43. Center for Enterprise Dissemination 

Services and Consumer Innovation

Tool that will provide search and access to 

tabulated Census data.

In progress In progress January 2019 n/a No

44. Tabulation

Tool that receives post-processed response data 

and produces tabulated statistical data.

In progress In progress January 2019 n/a No

Legend:

n/a = not applicable. These systems are only being deployed one time, so the first deployment date also represents the final deployment date.

Source: GAO analysis of Census Bureau data. | GAO-18-416T

a

The dates listed for March 2018 or earlier should be considered actual dates.

b

Bureau officials stated that testing for this system is complete; however, the Bureau has not yet 

provided documentation to support this assertion.

c

According to officials within the Bureau’s 2020 Census Systems Engineering and Integration office, 

the delay in the final deployment date for this system is due to a change in the timing of the 

operations it is supporting for the 2018 End-to-End Test.

d

Although this system has deployed, one of its interfaces was still undergoing testing as of the end of 

March 2018
Appendix I: Status of Development and Testing 

for Systems in the 2018 End-to-End Test, as of 

April 2018

Page 39 GAO-18-416T 2020 Census

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