Bureau of the Public Debt 

Mission Statement 

To borrow the money needed to operate the federal government, account for the resulting 

debt and provide reimbursable support services to federal agencies. 

Program Summary by Budget Activity 

Dollars in Thousands

Appropriation FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Administering the Public Debt Enacted Enacted Request $ Change % Change 

Wholesale Securities Services $19,996 $20,518 $21,047 $529 2.58%

Government Agency Investment

Services 14,594 14,648 14,497 (151) -1.03%

Retail Securities Services 137,020 140,573 144,194 3,621 2.58%

Summary Debt Accounting 7,244 7,132 7,316 184 2.58%

Total Appropriated Resources $178,854 $182,871 $187,054 $4,183 2.29%

Total FTE 1,390 1,371 1,371 0 0.00%

Note: FY 2007 Total Appropriated Resources include $3,000,000 in projected user fee 

collections. FY 2008 and FY 2009 Total Appropriated Resources include $10,000,000 in 

projected user fee collections. 

FY 2009 Priorities 

• Ensure that the most efficient systems are in place to conduct borrowing operations 

and deliver securities services to investors. 

• Continue to adopt technological advances to ensure that Public Debt’s various 

information technology systems remain secure. 

• Encourage investors to convert their marketable securities and paper savings bonds to 

TreasuryDirect. 

• Communicate with customers about the benefits of dealing directly with Treasury to 

purchase securities and manage their holdings online. 
Table of Contents 

Section 1 – Purpose....................................................................................... 1 

1A – Description of Bureau Vision and Priorities.......................................................... 1 

1B – Program History and Future Outlook..................................................................... 2 

Section 2 – Budget Adjustments and Appropriation Language .............. 4 

2.1 – Budget Adjustments Table..................................................................................... 4 

2A – Budget Increases and Decreases Description ........................................................ 4 

2.2 – Operating Levels Table.......................................................................................... 6 

2.3 – Appropriations Detail Table .................................................................................. 7 

2B – Appropriations Language and Explanation of Changes......................................... 8 

2B – Permanent, Indefinite Appropriations.................................................................... 8 

2C – Legislative Proposals ............................................................................................. 9 

Section 3 – Budget and Performance Plan............................................... 10 

3.1 – Budget by Strategic Outcome .............................................................................. 10 

3A – Wholesale Securities Services ............................................................................. 10 

3.2.1 – Wholesale Securities Services Budget and Performance Plan ......................... 11 

3B – Government Agency Investment Services........................................................... 12 

3.2.2 – Government Agency Investment Services Budget and Performance Plan....... 13 

3C – Retail Securities Services..................................................................................... 13 

3.2.3 – Retail Securities Services Budget and Performance Plan................................. 14 

3D – Summary Debt Accounting.................................................................................. 15 

3.2.4 – Summary Debt Accounting Budget and Performance Plan.............................. 16 

Section 4 – Supporting Materials.............................................................. 17 

4A – Human Capital Strategy Description ................................................................... 17 

4.1 – Summary of IT Resources Table ......................................................................... 19 

4B – Information Technology Strategy ........................................................................ 20 

4.2 – PART Evaluation Table....................................................................................... 21 
Section 1 – Purpose

1A – Description of Bureau Vision and Priorities 

The Bureau of the Public Debt’s vision is to lead the way for responsible, effective 

government through commitment to service, efficient operations, openness to change and 

values-based behavior. In carrying out its mission and vision, Public Debt annually 

auctions and issues more than $4 trillion in Treasury bills, notes, bonds and Treasury 

Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS); effectively administers the regulation of the 

primary and secondary Treasury securities markets; ensures that reliable systems and 

processes are in place for issuing, transferring, paying interest on and redeeming Treasury 

securities; issues and redeems more than 78 million paper savings bonds each year; 

administers in excess of $4 trillion in investments for some 230 federal trust funds; and 

provides timely and accurate information on the public debt. 

In support of Treasury’s strategic outcome of financing the government at the lowest 

possible cost over time, Public Debt’s top priority is to ensure that the most efficient 

systems are in place to conduct borrowing operations and deliver securities services to 

investors. To that end, Public Debt continues to enhance its TreasuryDirect system

where retail customers can purchase and manage their holdings of Treasury securities 

over the internet and will, in the first quarter of calendar year 2008, replace its aging 

auction system. As it increasingly relies on conducting business electronically, 

Public Debt also places a high priority on adopting technological advances to ensure that 

its systems remain secure. 

Public Debt’s major operational initiative is to consolidate all Government Agency 

Investment Services functions into one automated system by FY 2012 to reduce costs and 

facilitate future enhancements. To date, the Government Account Series (GAS) and 

borrowings functions are operating from the same automated platform and the effort to 

merge the State and Local Government Series (SLGS) program is underway. 

Issuing all Treasury securities electronically is a long-term goal for the retail program; 

however, the timetable for achieving that goal depends on several factors. A key 

challenge is to communicate with customers about the benefits of dealing directly with 

Treasury to purchase securities and manage their holdings online. As the public becomes 

increasingly comfortable with conducting financial business online, Public Debt believes 

more customers will take advantage of these benefits. 

With its resources, Public Debt: 

• Conducts more than 200 marketable securities auctions annually, resulting in the 

issuance of more than $4 trillion in Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS; 

• Administers in excess of $4 trillion in GAS investments, which amount to 45 percent 

of the public debt; 

• Manages some 6,900 active SLGS securities accounts valued at $297 billion; 

• Serves more than 50 million retail customers holding marketable and savings 

securities, including nearly 300,000 investor accounts in the internet-accessed 

TreasuryDirect system; 

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• Accounts for and reports on $219 billion in federal agency borrowings from Treasury 

in 78 funds; 

• Accounts for and reports on the balance and composition of the nearly $9 trillion in 

public debt, the single largest liability on the federal government’s balance sheet, and 

reconciles more than $77 trillion in securities transactions reported from numerous 

systems to cash flowing in and out of the federal government each year; and 

• Annually receives unqualified audit opinions on the Schedules of Federal Debt. 

The total resources required to support Public Debt activities in FY 2009 are 

$202,061,000, including $187,054,000 from direct appropriations, of which $10,000,000 

are user fees, and $15,007,000 from offsetting collections and reimbursable programs. 

1B – Program History and Future Outlook 

Public Debt continues to enhance the mechanisms for participation by a wide range of 

investors in its wholesale, government agency investment services and retail programs. 

Over the years, Public Debt has dramatically reduced the time required to complete 

marketable securities auctions. Results are now consistently released within two minutes, 

plus or minus 30 seconds, of closing. By reducing the time bidders are exposed to the 

risk of adverse market movements, auction participants are likely to bid at more favorable 

rates and yields to the federal government. 

In the first quarter of calendar year 2008, Public Debt will replace its aging auction 

system to fully automate the announcement, auction and issuance of marketable securities 

and, at the same time, provide greater speed and flexibility to Treasury debt managers in 

bringing new types of securities to market. By eliminating manual processes, the new 

Treasury Automated Auction Processing System (TAAPS) will help ensure error-free 

auction results. Going forward, Public Debt will upgrade TAAPS to keep pace with 

changes in technology to ensure financing operations are conducted timely and with 

100 percent accuracy. 

Public Debt continues its commitment to providing efficient mechanisms for federal, 

state and local government entities to purchase GAS and SLGS securities and borrow 

from Treasury. Public Debt will also continue to work with the Financial Management 

Service and federal agency customers to simplify financial reporting and streamline the 

reconciliation processes associated with producing government-wide financial 

statements. 

Public Debt will continue to enhance and support TreasuryDirect. To take advantage of 

the efficiencies of electronic processing, Public Debt will encourage investors to convert 

their marketable securities and paper savings bonds to TreasuryDirect. In FY 2009, 

TreasuryDirect will be expanded to enable fiduciaries, trusts and other organizations to 

open and maintain accounts. Also in FY 2009, Public Debt will streamline gift purchases 

in TreasuryDirect. 

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Public Debt continues to work to improve the clarity, utility and availability of federal 

debt information. Public Debt began producing daily public debt financial statements in 

June 2007. This effort supports the President’s Management Agenda goal of providing 

accurate and timely financial information. Going forward, Public Debt will work to 

modernize its system used for public debt accounting by migrating common summary 

debt accounting financial information to a shared service provider. This will potentially 

reduce operational risks and costs, while standardizing system, business and data 

elements. 

Although not supported by appropriated funding, Public Debt has made its franchise 

operations, the Administrative Resource Center and Information Technology Group, a 

significant part of what it does. As a recognized Shared Service Provider (SSP), 

Public Debt’s Administrative Resource Center supplies reimbursable support services to 

federal agencies, generating revenue to pay all organizational expenses. This designation 

fosters customer growth, as the Office of Management and Budget and the General 

Services Administration encourage agencies to use the efficiencies offered by SSPs, thus 

allowing customers to focus on mission-related activities. Public Debt’s Information 

Technology Group offers a combination of experience and know-how that allows it to 

effectively plan and execute government IT solutions. Additional information 

technology services, such as application hosting, are also provided to customers through 

the Information Technology Group. For FY 2009, Public Debt’s Administrative 

Resource Center and Information Technology Group plan to serve 78 customers with 

$103 million in revenue. 

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Section 2 – Budget Adjustments and Appropriation Language 

2.1 – Budget Adjustments Table 

Dollars in Thousands

Administering the Public Debt FTE Amount

FY 2008 Enacted 1,371 $182,871

Maintaining Current Levels (MCLs)

Non-Pay Inflation Adjustment 1,497

Pay Annualization 769

Pay Inflation Adjustment 2,445

Total FY 2009 Base 1,371 187,582

Program Decreases:

Government Agency Investment Services System (GAISS) Savings (528)

Subtotal FY 2009 Program Changes 0 (528)

Total FY 2009 Request 0 $187,054

Adjustments to Request User Fees:

User Fees (10,000)

Subtotal FY 2009 Offsetting Fees and Rescissions 0 (10,000)

Total FY 2009 0 $177,054

2A – Budget Increases and Decreases Description 

Maintaining Current Levels (MCLs) ...........................................+$4,711,000 / +0 FTE 

Non-Pay Inflation Adjustment +$1,497,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for other non-labor related items such as contracts, travel, supplies, 

equipment and GSA rent. 

Pay Annualization +$769,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for the FY 2009 cost of the January 2008 pay raise. 

Pay Inflation Adjustment +$2,445,000 / +0 FTE 

Funds are requested for the proposed January 2009 pay raise. 

Program Decreases ............................................................................-$528,000 / +0 FTE 

Government Agency Investment Services System (GAISS) Savings -$528,000 / +0 FTE 

Due to the consolidation of Public Debt's Special Purpose Security and InvestOne 

systems, Public Debt projects a $528,000 savings for its GAISS. The decrease is the 

result of a 20 percent savings due to the consolidation, offset by inflation and a 

10 percent increase for contract expenses. Through consolidation, Public Debt will 

streamline the technology used for supporting this business line and standardize its 

internal control of processes common to all Government Agency Investment Services 

programs. 

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Adjustments to Request User Fee ................................................-$10,000,000 / +0 FTE 

User Fees -$10,000,000 / +0 FTE 

For $100 account maintenance fees that Public Debt charges to account holders in the 

Legacy Treasury Direct system with an account balance of more than $100,000 in par 

value. 

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 2.2 – Operating Levels Table 

Bureau: Bureau of the Public Debt FY 2007 

Enacted

FY 2008 

President's 

Budget

Cong. 

Action 

including

Rescission

FY 2008

Enacted

Level

Proposed

Reprogra

mmings

FY 2008 

Proposed

Operating 

Level

FY 2009 

Requested

Level

FTE 1,390 1,390 1,371 1,371 1,371

Object Classification:

11.1 Full-Time Permanent Positions..................... $83,937 $89,149 - 81,920 - 81,920 $84,003

11.3 Other than Full-Time Permanent Positions.... 201 213 - 213 - 213 218

11.5 Other Personnel Compensation.................... 4,310 2,989 - 2,989 - 2,989 3,065

11.8 Special Personal Services Payments............ - - - - - - -

11.9 Personnel Compensation (Total)............... $88,448 $92,351 $0 $85,122 $0 $85,122 $87,286

12.0 Personnel Benefits........................................ 22,534 23,403 - 23,403 - 23,403 24,453

13.0 Benefits to Former Personnel........................ 30 28 - 50 - 50 50

21.0 Travel............................................................ 1,842 1,732 - 1,661 - 1,661 1,673

22.0 Transportation of Things............................... 90 85 - 90 - 90 91

23.1 Rental Payments to GSA.............................. 6,217 6,393 - 6,762 - 6,762 7,262

23.2 Rent Payments to Others.............................. 5 5 - 2 - 2 2

23.3 Communications, Utilities, & Misc................. 15,845 15,384 - 14,240 - 14,240 14,339

24.0 Printing and Reproduction............................. 1,956 1,837 - 1,735 - 1,735 1,747

25.1 Advisory & Assistance Services.................... 502 472 - 344 - 344 346

25.2 Other Services.............................................. 24,914 25,402 - 26,069 - 26,069 26,249

25.3 Purchase of Goods/Serv. from Govt. Accts... 7,869 7,392 - 10,376 - 10,376 10,448

25.4 Operation & Maintenance of Facilities........... 557 742 - 868 - 868 874

25.5 Research & Development Contracts............. - - - - - - -

25.6 Medical Care................................................. 19 18 - 22 - 22 22

25.7 Operation & Maintenance of Equipment........ 2,420 2,273 - 3,906 - 3,906 3,933

25.8 Subsistence & Support of Persons................ 10 - - - - - -

26.0 Supplies and Materials.................................. 2,365 2,222 - 2,247 - 2,247 2,263

31.0 Equipment..................................................... 3,134 3,030 - 5,752 - 5,752 5,792

32.0 Lands and Structures.................................... 95 89 - 220 - 220 222

33.0 Investments & Loans..................................... - - - - - - -

41.0 Grants, Subsidies.......................................... - - - - - - -

42.0 Insurance Claims & Indemn.......................... 2 2 - 2 - 2 2

43.0 Interest and Dividends.............................. - 11 - - - - -

44.0 Refunds......................................................... - - - - - - -

Total Budget Authority....................................... $178,854 $182,871 $0 $182,871 $0 $182,871 $187,054

Budget Activities:

Wholesale Securities Services.............................. 19,996 12,474 - $20,518 - 20,518 21,047

Government Agency Investment Services............... 14,594 13,239 - $14,648 - 14,648 14,497

Retail Securities Services.................................... 137,020 151,359 - $140,573 - 140,573 144,194

Summary Debt Accounting................................. 7,244 5,799 - $7,132 - 7,132 7,316

Total Budget Authority....................................... $178,854 $182,871 $0 $182,871 $0 $182,871 $187,054

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2.3 – Appropriations Detail Table 

Dollars in Thousands

FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT FTE AMOUNT

New Appropriated Resources:

Wholesale Securities Services 146 $19,475 155 $19,996 154 $20,518 154 $21,047 0.00% 2.58%

Government Agency Investment Services 104 13,903 113 $14,594 110 $14,648 110 $14,497 0.00% -1.03%

Retail Securities Services 1,002 133,425 1,066 $137,020 1,054 $140,573 1,054 $144,194 0.00% 2.58%

Summary Debt Accounting 51 6,769 56 $7,244 53 $7,132 53 $7,316 0.00% 2.58%

Subtotal New Appropriated Resources 1,303 $173,572 1,390 $178,854 1,371 $182,871 1,371 $187,054 0.00% 2.29%

Other Resources:

Offsetting Collections - Reimbursable 16 13,970 17 14,058 17 14,565 17 15,007 0.00% 3.03%

Available multi-year/no-year funds 3,299 5,311 3,658

User Fees 2,797

Recoveries 12 70

Subtotal Other Resources 16 20,066 17 19,381 17 18,293 17 15,007 0.00% -17.96%

Total Resources Available for Obligation 1,319 $193,638 1,407 $198,235 1,388 $201,164 1,388 $202,061 0.00% 0.45%

Enacted 2/

FY 2007 FY 2009

Enacted 1/ Request 2/ to FY 2009

% Change

FY 2008 FY 2008

Resources Available for Obligation

FY 2007

Obligations

1/ Subtotal New Appropriated Resources include $3,000,000 in projected user fee collections. 

2/ Subtotal New Appropriated Resources include $10,000,000 in projected user fee collections. 

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2B – Appropriations Language and Explanation of Changes 

Appropriations Language Explanation of 

Changes 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

BUREAU OF THE PUBLIC DEBT 

Federal Funds 

Administering the Public Debt 

For necessary expenses connected with any public-debt issues of 

the United States, [$182,871,000]$187,054,000, of which not to 

exceed $2,500 shall be available for official reception and 

representation expenses, and of which not to exceed $2,000,000 

shall remain available until September 30, [2010]2011, for 

systems modernization: Provided, That the sum appropriated 

herein from the general fund for fiscal year [2008]2009 shall be 

reduced by not more than $10,000,000 as definitive security issue 

fees and Legacy Treasury Direct Investor Account Maintenance 

fees are collected, so as to result in a final fiscal year [2008]2009

appropriation from the general fund estimated at 

[$172,871,000]$177,054,000. In addition, [$70,000]$90,000 to be 

derived from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to reimburse the 

Bureau for administrative and personnel expenses for financial 

management of the Fund, as authorized by section 1012 of Public 

Law 101-380. (Department of the Treasury Appropriations Act, 

2008.)

The $10,000,000 

in user fees 

associated with 

the Legacy 

Treasury Direct 

system was 

enacted in 

FY 2008. 

Legacy Treasury 

Direct is a bookentry system that 

has been in 

operation since 

1986. 

2B – Permanent, Indefinite Appropriations 

Reimbursements to the Federal Reserve Banks

Public Law 101-509, 104 Stat. 1389, 1394 (1990), established a permanent indefinite 

appropriation to pay such sums as necessary to reimburse the Federal Reserve Banks for acting 

as fiscal agents. A permanent indefinite account was established in FY 1992. Claims for 

reimbursements are closely monitored for compliance with the Instructions for Filing 

Reimbursement Claims for Fiscal Agency Services Provided to the Bureau of the Public Debt 

(current edition). Funding for FY 2009 is estimated at $130,170,000. 

Government Losses in Shipment

Public Law 103-329 established a permanent indefinite appropriation to pay such sums as 

necessary to make payments for the replacement of valuables, or the value thereof, lost, 

destroyed, or damaged in the course of United States government shipments. The Government 

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Losses in Shipment Act was approved July 8, 1937, to dispense with the necessity for insurance 

by the government against loss or damage to valuables in shipment and for other purposes. The 

Act was amended in 1943 to cover losses resulting from the redemption of savings bonds (for 

example, stolen bonds which were fraudulently negotiated even though the paying agent 

followed identification guidelines established by the Treasury). All authority of the Treasury 

under the Act has been delegated to the Commissioner of the Bureau of the Public Debt. In 

FY 2009, the funding estimated to support payments for the replacement of valuables is 

$500,000. 

2C – Legislative Proposals 

Public Debt has no legislative proposals for FY 2009. 

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Section 3 – Budget and Performance Plan

This table lists all FY 2009 resources by strategic goal, objective and outcome outlined in the 

FY 2007-2012 Treasury Department Strategic Plan. The Treasury Strategic Plan is a corporate 

level plan for the Department that provides a description of what the agency intends to 

accomplish over the next five years.

For detailed information about the FY 2007-2012 Treasury Strategic Plan, please go to: 

http://www.treas.gov/offices/management/budget/strategic-plan/

3.1 – Budget by Strategic Outcome 

Dollars in Thousands

TREASURY Strategic Outcome

Enacted

AMOUNT AMOUNT AMOUNT

Financial information 7,585 $7,783 2.6%

Government financing 189,851 194,278 2.3%

Total $197,436 $202,061 2.3%

FY 2008 FY 2009 Percent 

Request Change

Note: FY 2008 and FY 2009 totals include $10,000,000 in projected user fee collections. 

3A – Wholesale Securities Services ($21,047,000 from direct appropriations and $1,343,000 

from reimbursable programs): The Wholesale Securities Services activity involves the 

announcement, auction, issuance and settlement of marketable Treasury bills, notes, bonds and 

TIPS. It also provides an efficient infrastructure for the transfer, custody and redemption of 

these securities. Large market participants buy most of Treasury’s marketable securities at 

auction. In FY 2007, Public Debt conducted more than 200 marketable securities auctions 

resulting in the issuance of more than $4 trillion in securities. Treasury’s commercial book-entry 

system holds approximately $4.3 trillion, or 98 percent, of Treasury marketable securities. 

Treasury uses this system to issue most of its marketable debt, make principal and interest 

payments and support the active secondary market in Treasury securities. It is estimated that 

about $1.23 trillion per day in Treasury securities are transferred among account holders in the 

commercial book-entry system. 

 

This activity directly supports the Department of the Treasury’s strategic outcome of financing 

the government at the lowest possible cost over time. To help meet this outcome, in the first 

quarter of calendar year 2008, Public Debt will replace its auction system to fully integrate the 

automated announcement, auction and issuance of marketable securities and provide greater 

speed and flexibility to Treasury debt managers in bringing new types of securities to market. 

Public Debt will continue to seek opportunities in U.S. and global markets to listen and learn 

from holders of its securities and share information. The Bureau will also educate current and 

potential investors about Treasury’s debt financing policies, the auction process and its 

securities. 

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Public Debt also has the responsibility of regulating the government securities market. 

Public Debt administers Treasury’s regulations that provide investor protection and maintain the 

integrity, liquidity and efficiency in the government securities market under the Government 

Securities Act of 1986, as amended. Public Debt also administers the rules for Treasury’s 

securities auctions and buybacks and prescribes provisions for Treasury’s Fiscal Service 

collateral programs, including collateral eligibility and valuation. Fiscal Service collateral 

programs ensure that government funds on deposit or invested at commercial banks are secured. 

Other Resources: 

Reimbursements totaling $1,343,000 are allocated to this program for providing administrative 

support to Public Debt’s franchise operation. 

3.2.1 – Wholesale Securities Services Budget and Performance Plan 

Wholesale Securities Services Budget Activity

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Resource Level Obligated Obligated Obligated Enacted Request

Appropriated Resources $13,290 $17,987 $19,475 $20,518 $21,047

Reimbursable Resources 408 1,594 1,301 1,302 1,343

Total Resources $13,698 $19,581 $20,776 $21,820 $22,390

Wholesale Securities Services Budget Activity

Measure

$126,828 $148,926 $235,172 $263,306 $275,610

95.00% 100.00% 99.10% 95.00% 95.00%

FY 2008

Target

FY 2009

Target

FY 2005

Actual

FY 2006

Actual

FY 2007

Actual

Cost per debt financing operation ($) (E)

Percent of auction results released in 2 minutes +/-

30 seconds (%) (Oe)

Key: Oe - Outcome Measure, E - Efficiency Measure, Ot - Output/Workload Measure, and M - Management/Cust. Satisfaction 

Description of Performance: Public Debt established an efficiency measure for its cost per debt 

financing operation, which is incurred in Public Debt’s annual appropriation as well as in its 

permanent indefinite fund established to reimburse Federal Reserve Banks that act as Treasury’s

fiscal agents. In FY 2007, the actual cost per debt financing operation was $235,172, which 

exceeded Public Debt's target by $6,763. Contributing to the increased costs were one fewer 

auction than anticipated and a delay in implementing the new auction system. Increased 

necessary testing of the new system resulted in a delayed implementation and the need to also 

run the existing auction system longer than originally anticipated. 

The cost per debt financing operation is estimated at $263,306 in FY 2008 and $275,610 in 

FY 2009. Increases in the cost per debt financing operation are due to the implementation of a 

new auction system requiring a complete replacement of the existing network, hardware and 

software. This new system will provide enhanced back-up and recovery capability, ease and 

flexibility in placing bids in Treasury securities auctions and improved information sharing to 

Public Debt’s customers and stakeholders.

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In FY 2007, Public Debt surpassed its performance target of releasing auction results within two 

minutes, plus or minus 30 seconds, 95 percent of the time. Reductions in requested FY 2009 

funding would risk decreases in staffing levels and the ability to provide contingency processing. 

3B – Government Agency Investment Services ($14,497,000 from direct appropriations and 

$3,827,000 from reimbursable programs): The Government Agency Investment Services 

(GAIS) program supports federal, state and local government agency investments in 

non-marketable Treasury securities as well as federal agency borrowing from Treasury. 

Public Debt offers two major non-marketable special purpose investment programs to 

government agencies. Government Account Series (GAS) securities are issued only to federal 

agencies with statutory investment authority. There are some 230 trust and investment funds 

held by federal agencies. For 18 of the funds, Public Debt also maintains the investment 

accounts and performs additional administrative functions on behalf of the Secretary of the 

Treasury. These additional functions include processing receipts into and transfers out of the 

funds to the related federal program agencies for the purpose of administering the underlying 

programs that are supported by the trust funds. Some of the more recognizable federal trust 

funds are the four Social Security and Medicare Funds, as well as the Unemployment and 

Highway Trust Funds. With more than $4 trillion in investments, federal government and other 

entities’ holdings of GAS securities make up 45 percent of the public debt outstanding. 

State and Local Government Series (SLGS) securities are issued to state and local government 

entities across the nation. At approximately $297 billion outstanding, the SLGS program is 

important to over 6,900 state and local government entities that use these securities to help 

comply with provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. 

Public Debt also accounts for and reports on the principal borrowings from and repayments to 

Treasury for 78 funds managed by other federal agencies, as well as the related interest due to 

Treasury. These agencies are statutorily authorized to borrow from Treasury to make loans for a 

broad range of purposes, such as education, housing, farming, and small business support. The 

funds hold about $219 billion in loans and loan guarantees. 

At the federal level, Public Debt’s services in this activity directly help customers produce timely 

and accurate financial information that contributes to the reliability and usefulness of the 

government-wide financial statements. Instant access to account information has significantly 

simplified reconciliation and audit confirmation efforts across the country and assisted SLGS 

purchasers in complying with Internal Revenue Service requirements related to the issuance of

tax exempt securities. 

Other Resources: 

Reimbursements totaling $3,827,000 are allocated to this program for providing administrative 

support to Public Debt’s franchise operation and investment accounting on behalf of the 

Secretary of the Treasury. 

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3.2.2 – Government Agency Investment Services Budget and Performance Plan 

Government Agency Investment Services

Budget Activity

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Resource Level Obligated Obligated Obligated Enacted Request

 Appropriated Resources $13,825 $14,599 $13,903 $14,648 $14,497 

 Reimbursable Resources $2,641 $3,418 $3,170 $3,744 $3,827

Total Resources $16,466 $18,017 $17,073 $18,392 $18,324

Budget Activity Total $16,466 $18,017 $17,073 $18,392 $18,324

Government Agency Investment Services

Budget Activity

 Measure FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Actual Actual Actual Target Target

Number of Government Agency Investment

Services control processes consolidated 

 N/A N/A 3 3 2

Cost per federal funds investment transaction

($) (E) 

$88.74 $62.64 $68.53 $77.10 $77.70 

Percentage of Government Agency customer

initiated transactions conducted online (%) 

(Oe)

 72.70% 97.03% 97.31% Discontinued Discontinued

Key: Oe - Outcome Measure, E - Efficiency Measure, Ot - Output/Workload Measure, and M - Management/Cust. Satisfaction

Description of Performance: In the GAIS budget activity, Public Debt has an efficiency 

measure to track the cost per federal funds investment transaction. Federal investments are 

special-purpose securities issued only to federal agencies that manage trust, deposit and other 

special funds. Public Debt handles issuing, paying interest on and redeeming the securities held 

by each fund, as well as handling all of the debt-related accounting and reporting for the 

securities on the consolidated financial statement of the federal government. Public Debt 

projects the cost per federal funds investment transaction to be $77.10 for FY 2008 and $77.70 

for FY 2009. The projected cost per federal funds investment transaction is increasing each year 

due to inflationary cost increases and transaction volumes that are projected to remain constant. 

Public Debt established a long-term goal to reduce the number of systems used to support GAIS. 

Through systems reduction, Public Debt will streamline the diversity of technology involved in 

supporting this business line. Additionally, this effort will allow the Bureau to consolidate and 

standardize the internal controls over processes common to all GAIS programs. The control 

environment consists of 18 processes that will be transformed into six standardized processes. 

Consolidating the three systems that house GAIS data into a single, integrated control 

environment will provide one location for all investment activities. This will reduce operational 

risks, while standardizing system, business and data elements. 

3C – Retail Securities Services ($144,194,000 from direct appropriations, including 

$10,000,000 from user fee collections and $9,370,000 from offsetting collections and 

reimbursable programs): Public Debt’s Retail Securities program serves more than 50 million 

retail customers who have invested in marketable and savings securities directly with Treasury. 

Investors may hold these securities in book-entry or paper form. 

The goal of the retail program is to migrate products and services to the internet-accessed 

TreasuryDirect system so that eventually all retail securities are issued and maintained in 

book-entry form. TreasuryDirect enables Public Debt to serve customers more effectively and 

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manage resources more efficiently since investors are able to purchase securities online and 

self-manage their holdings. To accelerate these efficiencies, Public Debt encourages customers 

to convert holdings to TreasuryDirect. The potential for conversions is significant since there are 

over 700 million paper savings bonds and nearly 400,000 accounts in the Legacy Treasury Direct 

marketable securities system. While moving to all-electronic processing, Public Debt remains 

committed to supporting its legacy systems. 

Other Resources: 

Offsetting collections totaling $10,000,000 are collected for definitive securities issue and 

Legacy Treasury Direct Investor Account maintenance fees. In addition, $9,370,000 in 

reimbursements are collected for providing computer matching for the Social Security

Administration and administrative support to Public Debt’s franchise operation. 

3.2.3 – Retail Securities Services Budget and Performance Plan 

Retail Securities Services Budget Activity

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Resource Level Obligated Obligated Obligated Enacted Request

Appropriated Resources $140,084 $132,939 $133,425 $140,573 $144,194

Reimbursable Resources 4,348 11,873 9,047 9,066 9,370

Total Resources $144,432 $144,812 $142,472 $149,639 $153,564

Retail Securities Services Budget Activity

Measure

$8.51 $4.97 $6.65 $10.83 $12.58

$3.43 $3.06 $3.24 $3.88 $3.93

88.70% 98.00% 99.43% 90.00% 90.00% Percentage of retail customer service transactions

completed within 12 business days (%) (Oe)

FY 2008

Target

FY 2009

Target

Cost per TreasuryDirect assisted transaction ($) (E)

Cost per TreasuryDirect online transaction ($) (E)

FY 2005

Actual

FY 2006

Actual

FY 2007

Actual

Key: Oe - Outcome Measure, E - Efficiency Measure, Ot - Output/Workload Measure, and M - Management/Cust. Satisfaction 

Description of Performance: Public Debt has three performance measures for Retail Securities 

Services that include two efficiency and one outcome measure. 

The first efficiency measure is the cost per TreasuryDirect assisted transaction. Although 

TreasuryDirect promotes self-sufficiency, there are times when assistance from a customer 

service representative is necessary. Representatives handle phone and email inquiries, offline 

authentication forms processing, conversions, changes in bank information, and transactions 

requiring legal evidence. The FY 2007 unit cost of $6.65 exceeded the projected unit cost of 

$6.16 due to an increase in costs to handle more complex transactions. Public Debt projects unit 

costs of $10.83 in FY 2008 and $12.58 in FY 2009 for TreasuryDirect assisted transactions. 

While BPD expects the workload to remain steady or increase slightly, Retail workload is 

sensitive to changes in market rates. When market rates are low, TreasuryDirect accounts are 

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not likely to grow at the pace seen in prior years. Cost increases reflect additional direct and 

support costs to handle a continuing increase in more complex work. 

The second efficiency measure is the cost per TreasuryDirect online transaction. In Public Debt’s 

internet-accessed system, investors set up accounts, purchase electronic securities and manage 

their holdings. Since investors have this self-service capability, Public Debt tracks the cost of 

online transactions, including establishing accounts, purchasing and redemption of securities and 

changing account information online. The FY 2007 unit cost of $3.24 exceeded BPD's projected 

unit cost by $0.28 due to its refinement of IT cost allocations among Public Debt programs and a 

lower volume of online transactions. Public Debt projects unit costs of $3.88 in FY 2008 and 

$3.93 in FY 2009 for TreasuryDirect online transactions since Retail workload is sensitive to 

changes in market rates. When market rates are low, TreasuryDirect accounts are not likely to 

grow at the pace seen in prior years. BPD expects workload to remain steady, while costs to 

operate the TreasuryDirect system should remain relatively constant. 

The third measure includes the timeliness of processing retail customer service transactions, 

including answering phone and email inquiries, processing payments or changes to payment 

instructions and handling TreasuryDirect assisted transactions. For FY 2007, Public Debt 

processed 99.43 percent of retail customer service transactions within 12 business days, 

surpassing its target of 90 percent. Future goals are to complete 90 percent of transactions within 

11 business days in FY 2009 and within 10 business days in FY 2010. Reaching a ten-day 

turnaround for retail customer service transactions represents the culmination of a long-term goal 

for expedited quality service set by Public Debt in FY 2004. Sufficient funding, efficiencies 

gained from improved work processes and an increase in electronic transactions will allow 

Public Debt to meet these goals. 

3D – Summary Debt Accounting ($7,316,000 from direct appropriations and $467,000 from 

reimbursable programs): The Summary Debt Accounting program accurately accounts for and 

reports timely on the outstanding public debt and related interest expenses. The program

provides daily information on the balance and composition of the public debt, and summary level 

accounts represent the control totals for dozens of subordinate investment systems. 

Each year, Public Debt reconciles more than $77 trillion in securities transactions reported from

numerous systems to cash flowing in and out of the federal government. Public Debt’s summary 

level accounting system provides detailed financial information on the nearly $9 trillion in public 

debt and associated interest expense for publication in the annual Financial Report of the United 

States Government, Treasury’s Performance and Accountability Report, and the Schedules of 

Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Public Debt. 

The Bureau publishes information on the balance and composition of the public debt in the 

Monthly Statement of the Public Debt of the United States on its website. In June 2007, Public 

Debt began producing daily public debt financial statements. 

Public Debt has always been committed to maintaining strong accounting controls to ensure the 

integrity of operations and the accuracy of the information provided to the public. The Bureau 

has consistently received unqualified audit opinions on the Schedules of Federal Debt, which 

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presents details supporting the largest single liability on the government-wide financial 

statement. 

Other Resources: 

Reimbursements totaling $467,000 are allocated to this program for providing administrative 

support to Public Debt’s franchise operation. 

3.2.4 – Summary Debt Accounting Budget and Performance Plan 

Summary Debt Accounting Budget Activity

FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009

Resource Level Obligated Obligated Obligated Enacted Request

Appropriated Resources $5,402 $6,431 $6,769 $7,132 $7,316

Reimbursable Resources 166 570 452 453 467

Total Resources $5,568 $7,001 $7,221 $7,585 $7,783

Summary Debt Accounting Budget Activity

Measure

$12.62 $10.96 $9.29 $9.74 $9.97

FY 2005

Actual

FY 2006

Actual

FY 2007

Actual

FY 2008

Target

FY 2009

Target

Cost per summary debt accounting transaction ($) (E)

Key: Oe - Outcome Measure, E - Efficiency Measure, Ot - Output/Workload Measure, and M - Management/Cust. Satisfaction 

Description of Performance: Public Debt has an efficiency measure to track the cost per 

transaction of performing summary debt accounting, which includes reporting all financial 

activity related to the public debt of the United States. Issues, redemptions and interest payments 

on the public debt must be accounted for to calculate the amount of debt outstanding and interest 

paid. Public Debt projects the cost per summary debt accounting transaction to be $9.74 in 

FY 2008 and $9.97 in FY 2009. The projected cost per summary debt accounting transaction is 

increasing each year due to inflationary cost increases and transaction volumes that are projected 

to remain constant. 

For detailed information about each performance measure, including definition, verification and 

validation, please go to: 

http://www.treasury.gov/offices/management/dcfo/accountability-reports/2007-par.shtml

BPD - 16 
Section 4 – Supporting Materials 

4A – Human Capital Strategy Description 

Public Debt’s strategic management of human capital is consistent with its mission, vision and 

priorities and supports not only the President’s Management Agenda, but also Treasury’s 

strategic goal of Effectively Managed U.S. Government Finances. 

Public Debt has developed a comprehensive recruitment program to attract candidates with the 

necessary competencies to minimize skill gaps. As a part of its program, Public Debt attends 

approximately 25 career fairs per year and solicits applications through diversity specific 

magazines and websites to identify and hire a talented and diverse workforce. Extensive work is 

done with management before and during the recruitment process to identify staffing needs and 

pinpoint the particular characteristics and skills necessary for Public Debt to succeed. 

A prime component of Public Debt’s human capital strategy is operating as a values-based 

organization. Public Debt is known in the local and surrounding communities as a values-based 

organization where candidates want to work and employees want to stay. Public Debt’s 

recognition of the need for a balanced family and work life makes it an attractive employer. In 

fact, according to the report, Best Places to Work in the Federal Government 2007, Public Debt 

is ranked in the top 11 percent of federal agencies. This ranking is based on results from the 

Office of Personnel Management’s 2006 Human Capital Survey. 

Public Debt uses the full range of pay flexibilities to recruit and retain high quality candidates 

with the skills necessary to accomplish its mission. Specifically, Public Debt uses superior 

qualifications appointments, student loan repayments and recruitment and retention incentives. 

Public Debt also uses special employment programs to hire quality candidates. The Bureau has 

been very successful using the Federal Career Intern Program, Student Career Experience 

Program, and Veterans’ Recruitment Act to provide a source of highly qualified applicants. 

Public Debt fosters a learning culture that provides employees at all levels with opportunities for 

continuous development. Management invests in education, training and other developmental 

opportunities to help employees build mission-critical competencies, both leadership and 

technical, that are beneficial to the Bureau. The readiness of Public Debt’s workforce, including 

its Mission Critical Occupations, is determined through skills gap assessments. Public Debt 

works with focus groups to assess the training needs necessary to keep employee skills current

and develop the future training opportunities needed to prevent skills gaps. These focus groups 

ensure that Public Debt employees are among the best trained in the government and remain 

abreast of new technologies affecting their work. 

Public Debt has identified three Mission Critical Occupations (MCOs): Customer Service 

Specialist (CSS), Accountant, and Financial Systems Analyst. Workforce analysis indicates that 

retirement eligibility among the CSS positions is relatively high compared to the other MCOs. 

To offset the potential retirement issue among the CSS positions, Public Debt recruits applicants 

with basic communication and customer service skills. Once on board, these basic skills, 

coupled with specific training, ensure a ready source of qualified employees. Public Debt’s 

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workforce analysis indicates that as employees retire, it will continue to have a sufficient pool of 

internal candidates to fill CSS positions. 

Human capital initiatives, including succession planning, are another important part of Public 

Debt’s strategic plan. Public Debt is very successful in filling senior-level positions internally. 

This success can be attributed, in part, to leadership development programs and knowledge 

transfer techniques. To cultivate leadership and management skills, Public Debt uses programs 

such as Management Candidate Development, Senior Executive Service Candidate 

Development, and Supervisory Excellence. Of the GS-13 level and above workforce, 42 percent 

of employees are eligible to retire by December 31, 2012. Public Debt will continue to use these 

types of programs to fill future vacancies. 

 
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4.1 – Summary of IT Resources Table 

Dollars in Thousands

Information Technology Investments

FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 F

Major IT Investments / Funding Source Budget Activity

& Earlier 

Enacted 1/ Enacted

President's

Budget Re

Government Agency Investment Services System (GAISS)/2

Government Agency InvestmentServices $0 $4,447 $3,790 -14.8% 

Public Debt Accounting and Reporting System (PARS) Summary Debt Accounting $2,038 $1,914 $1,971 3.0% 

SaBRe Retail Securities Services $4,344 $4,873 $4,640 -4.8% 

Treasury Automated Auction Processing System (TAAPS) Wholesale Securities Services $44,900 $47,080 $31,623 -32.8% 

 Subtotal: TAAPS Appropriated Funding $2,996 $10,570 $11,332 7.2% 

 Subtotal: TAAPS Permanent Indefinite Funding $41,904 $36,510 $20,291 -44.4% 

TreasuryDirect Retail Securities Services $5,013 $5,191 $5,389 3.8% 

Subtotal, Major IT Investments $56,295 $63,505 $47,413 -25.3% 

Non-Major IT Investments $9,456 $9,581 $9,793 2.2% 

Infrastructure Investments $24,563 $15,553 $15,895 2.2% 

Enterprise Architecture $200 $321 $342 6.5% Total IT Investments $90,514 $88,960 $73,443 -17.4% 

1/ This column reflects appropriated resources provided to a project in FY 2006 and any previous years.

2/ SPSS and InvestOne merged into GAISS beginning FY07.

% Change from 

FY07 to FY08
4B – Information Technology Strategy 

The Bureau of the Public Debt operates systems that process a wide range of customer 

service transactions, initiate trillions of dollars in customer payments and account for the 

public debt at both the detail and summary accounting levels. By delivering services to 

customers online and automating work processes, these major IT investments are the 

most cost-effective means to conduct borrowing and deliver securities services to 

investors. 

Public Debt’s Capital Planning and Investment Control program is a disciplined, 

integrated process that addresses system prioritization of new and existing IT 

investments, risk management, long-range planning, business objectives, alternative 

analysis and governance. Public Debt’s quarterly enterprise architecture reviews ensure 

alignment of its IT investments to the strategic enterprise direction of Treasury and 

identify potential duplication of systems. By tracking and reporting the progress of each 

investment and the performance measures achieved each quarter, Public Debt ensures its 

IT system portfolio is well managed, cost effective and supports the strategic goal of 

Effectively Managed U.S. Government Finances. Through Public Debt’s management of 

its IT system portfolio, the government’s critical financing needs are met while 

maintaining the integrity of primary and secondary markets for Treasury securities. 

Public Debt’s IT system portfolio is comprised of certified and accredited applications, 

ensuring financially secure E-Government systems. 

For example, the new Treasury Automated Auction Processing System (TAAPS), 

designed to fully automate the announcement, auction and issuance of marketable debt, is 

scheduled for implementation in the first quarter of calendar year 2008 and will replace a 

number of aging legacy systems. The new system is also designed to provide Treasury 

debt managers with the ability to bring new types of securities to market with greater 

speed. TAAPS is being developed to meet the Bureau’s performance goal to consistently 

release auction results within two minutes, plus or minus 30 seconds, of closing. Shorter, 

accurate and consistent auction releases reduce the time auction bidders are exposed to 

the risk of adverse market movements, thereby reducing the cost of borrowing for 

Treasury. 

The TreasuryDirect system is another example of Public Debt ensuring that project 

management methods are used to meet cost, schedule and performance goals. This 

system is an internet-accessed application that offers all retail Treasury securities 

available to the public at one convenient location. The system is designed to maximize 

customer self-sufficiency and minimize off-line transaction processing by customer 

service personnel. By enabling investors to manage their Treasury securities holdings 

online, Public Debt better serves retail customers and, at the same time, manages 

resources more efficiently. The TreasuryDirect system continues to be enhanced using 

Rapid Application Development techniques that give the program manager the flexibility 

to quickly incorporate new functionality into the system. 
4.2 – PART Evaluation Table 

PART Name: Administering the Public Debt

Year PARTed: 2003

Rating: Effective

OMB Major Findings/Recommendations

Bureau Actions Planned or Underway

2. Consolidate Government Agency Investment Services into a single, integrated control environment by FY 2012.

3. Migrate Summary Debt Accounting to a shared service solution by FY 2013.

1. By 2012, 90% of Primary Dealers demonstrate the ability to participate in a live auction from their disaster recovery sites.

2. The program meets its annual performance goals and continues to improve targets for subsequent fiscal years.

3. The Bureau of the Public Debt identifies new long-term goals to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

1. The Bureau of the Public Debt has a clear purpose and is well designed and managed.

For a complete list of PART results visit the following website: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore/all.html

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