2020 Census: Recommended Actions Need to Be Implemented before Potential Cost Savings Can be Realized
Published: 2015-04-20T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: The cost of the decennial census has steadily increased each decade, with the 2010 Census being the most costly in history, totaling approximately $13 billion. If the growth rate continues, the 2020 Census could cost approximately $25 billion (in constant 2010 dollars). In an effort to contain costs while continuing to ensure an accurate enumeration, the Bureau is researching and testing new methods and technologies.
This September, the Bureau plans to announce its preliminary design for the 2020 Census, and in October 2018 the Bureau plans to have all systems and processes for the 2020 Census developed and ready for operational testing. As Census Day 2020 gets closer, the margin for schedule slippages is becoming increasingly narrow.
GAO was asked to testify on the Bureau's progress in implementing cost-savings initiatives and associated challenges for the 2020 Census. To prepare this statement, GAO relied on its previously published work in this area over the last several years.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The Census Bureau (Bureau) has research and testing efforts well under way to support reforming aspects of the 2020 Census in order to contain costs. The table below briefly describes the four main cost-saving initiatives and the Bureau's associated savings estimates.
However, the Bureau faces significant challenges and unanswered questions related to these initiatives and their associated cost savings. For example, the Bureau needs to finalize decisions on: the use of data records from other government agencies; more cost-effectively maintaining complete and accurate map and address data; and the use of technology to more efficiently manage field operations. The Bureau also needs to take action on GAO's recommendations to develop reliable cost estimates and time frames for key decisions related to deploying the Internet self-response option.
The successful execution of the 2020 Census also depends on the effective implementation of a large and complex information technology (IT) development effort. This effort—the Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing program—is intended to result in an interconnected set of systems to serve all the Bureau's data collection and processing functions, including the systems and infrastructure needed to support the 2020 Census cost-savings initiatives. But as GAO has reported, the Bureau has not always prioritized key testing and research activities needed to inform IT system development. GAO has also previously found weaknesses in the Bureau's management of IT , and made recommendations to address them. In response, the Bureau has made important improvements in the areas of governance, system development methodologies, requirements management, and workforce planning. However, more work remains to ensure that it has the critical skills needed to effectively deliver IT solutions and that its systems and information are protected from unauthorized access or tampering.
The Bureau needs to take action to address the recommendations GAO has made in prior reports. If these actions are not taken, cost overruns, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls will likely diminish the potential cost savings that the Bureau estimates will result from redesigning the census for 2020.
section_title: What GAO Recommends
paragraphs: In its prior work, GAO made 121 recommendations to, among other things, assist the Bureau in planning for its Internet response option, completing key research and testing activities, and improving its IT management and security. The Bureau generally agreed with these recommendations.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: We are pleased to be here today to discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s  (Bureau) cost-savings reform initiatives and associated challenges for the  2020 Decennial Census. This month marks a critical turning point in the  decade-long countdown to the next decennial: half of the time available to  prepare for the 2020 enumeration is now behind the Bureau, giving  greater urgency and importance to the testing, operational, and  procurement decisions that it will make in the months ahead. For  example, this September, the Bureau plans to announce its preliminary  design for the 2020 Census, and in October 2018 the Bureau plans to  have all systems and processes for the 2020 Census developed and  ready for end-to-end testing. As momentum builds toward Census Day  2020, the margin for schedule slippages is getting increasingly slim.
The cost of the decennial census has steadily increased during the past  40 years, in part because the nation’s population has steadily grown  larger, more diverse, and increasingly difficult to enumerate. For example,  at about $13 billion, the 2010 Census was the costliest U.S. census in  history and was 56 percent more costly than the $8.1 billion 2000 Census  (in constant 2010 dollars). If that growth rate continues, the 2020 Census  could cost approximately $25 billion in 2020.
Given these trends, the fundamental management challenge facing the  Bureau is how to control the cost of the next enumeration while  maintaining its accuracy. This is why today’s hearing is so timely; our past  reviews of prior decennials have underscored the importance of early and  ongoing congressional oversight for keeping census preparations on  track. In our remarks today, we will describe progress the Bureau has  made in major 2020 Census cost-saving initiatives and critical challenges  the Bureau faces in successfully delivering these initiatives.
The information in our testimony is based on our previous reports on the  2010 Census, as well as those on the Bureau’s planning efforts for 2020.  For this work, we, among other things, analyzed key documents such as  budgets, cost estimates, plans, schedules, procedures, and guidance for  selected activities, and interviewed cognizant Bureau officials at  headquarters and local census offices. We did not validate the Bureau’s  cost-savings estimates discussed in today’s statement. In addition, for the  work on the 2010 Census, we made on-site observations of key  enumeration activities across the country, including both urban and less- populated areas. More detail on our scope and methodology is provided  in each published report on which this testimony is based. We also  obtained and reviewed information on the Bureau’s actions in response to  our previous recommendations. We conducted our work in support of this  testimony during April 2015.
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.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: The decennial census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and provides  data that are vital to the nation. This information is used to apportion the  seats of the U.S. House of Representatives; realign the boundaries of the  legislative districts of each state; allocate billions of dollars in federal  financial assistance; and provide social, demographic, and economic  profiles of the nation’s people to guide policy decisions at each level of  government.
As shown in figure 1, the cost of enumerating each housing unit has  escalated from around $16 in 1970 to around $94 in 2010, in constant  2010 dollars (an increase of over 500 percent). At the same time, the mail  response rate—a key indicator of a cost-effective enumeration—has  declined from 78 percent in 1970 to 63 percent in 2010. In many ways,  the Bureau has had to invest substantially more resources each decade  just to try and match the results of prior enumerations.
Beginning in 1990, we reported that rising costs, difficulties in securing  public participation, and other long-standing challenges required a revised  census methodology—a view that was shared by other stakeholders. We  and other organizations—including the Bureau itself—have stated that  fundamental changes to the design, implementation, and management of  the census must be made in order to address operational and  organizational challenges.
Accordingly, in preparation for the 2020 Census, the Bureau has been  researching and testing new methods and technologies to more cost- effectively count the population while maintaining high-quality results.  This includes conducting several major field tests that are intended to  inform the September 2015 preliminary design decision. For example, in  2014 the Bureau tested new methods for conducting self-response and  non-response follow-up (referred to as the 2014 Census Test) in the  Maryland and Washington, D.C., area. The Bureau is also conducting  tests in 2015 that are expected to inform the design decision, including  the Address Validation Test, which was completed in early 2015 and  was used to examine new methods for updating the Bureau’s address  list; the 2015 Census Test, which is currently being conducted in Arizona  to test, among other things, reengineered non-response follow-up field  operations, as well as enabling enumerators to use their personally  owned mobile devices to collect census data; and the Optimizing Self Response Test, which is currently being  conducted in Savannah, Georgia, and the surrounding area and is  intended to further explore methods of encouraging households to  respond using the Internet, such as using advertizing and outreach to  motivate respondents, and enabling households to respond without a  Bureau-issued identification number.
Following its design decision, the Bureau plans to conduct additional  research and testing and further refine the design through 2018. By  September 2018, the Bureau plans to have fully implemented the design  so that it can begin operational readiness testing. Figure 2 provides the  timeline for planned 2020 Census research and testing.
section_title: Key Challenges Need to Be Addressed before Potential Cost Savings Can Be Realized
paragraphs: The Bureau has been making important progress in researching and  testing various design options associated with four interrelated cost- savings initiatives: using data previously provided to the government to  help enumerate the population, updating the Bureau’s address list and  maps of the nation, only where needed, reengineering management of  field work, and maximizing self-response. Combined, the Bureau  estimates these efforts could generate up to $5 billion in cost savings and  that the total life-cycle cost for the 2020 Census will be approximately  $12.7 billion. However, we have identified various challenges and  unanswered questions in these areas that, if unresolved, could affect the  accuracy of the count and put the estimated cost savings at risk. The  Bureau has identified or acknowledged many of these issues and is  working to address them.
subsections: section_title: Research of Major 2020 Census Cost-Savings Areas Is Well Under Way, but Challenges and Unanswered Questions Need to Be Addressed
subsections: section_title: Using Data Previously Provided to the Government
paragraphs: The Bureau incurs a large part of the census’ cost while following up at  residences that did not return a census questionnaire. To ensure a  complete count, Bureau guidance in 2010 had enumerators visit some  places up to six times to try to obtain a response. In addition to being  costly, such follow-up can also affect the accuracy of the count, because  when census enumerators cannot contact a household, they may turn to  a neighbor or some other person knowledgeable about the household to  obtain the data. However, this information may be less reliable than  information provided by a household member. In addition, many  residences are subsequently found to be vacant or nonexistent. For  example, in one operation in 2010 with the purpose of verifying whether  some housing units were vacant or should be deleted from the Bureau’s  address list, the Bureau visited nearly 9 million housing units at a cost of  about $280 million in labor and other expenses.
To reduce the need for these costly operations and to increase accuracy,  the Bureau is testing how it might be able to expand its use of information  the government already has from the administration of other programs— administrative records. The Bureau is conducting these tests in Maricopa  County, Arizona, this month and has further testing planned for 2016.  Examples of administrative records include Social Security Administration  data and Medicare records, as well as records from state, local, and tribal  governments and commercial sources. The Bureau has previously made  limited use of administrative records. For example, it used U.S. Postal  Service files to update its address list. The Bureau estimates that using  administrative records for the 2020 Census to reduce the number of in- person visits, local census offices, and operations needed has the  potential to save $1.2 billion.
Our ongoing work and our December 2010 reportBureau will need to resolve a number of questions before it will be able to  realize cost savings or improvements in data reliability from the use of  such records, including the following:
What records will meet the Bureau’s needs? The Bureau is  exploring questions about the quality of other records and their  completeness. Information contained in those records was collected  for other purposes, so it may not always provide exactly what the  Bureau needs. For example, while race and ethnicity data are  collected in the census, the records available to the Bureau may not  record this information. Likewise, while the Bureau needs the location  of a residence for apportionment and other purposes, available  records may only provide locations where people receive mail such as  a post office box.
To what extent does the Bureau have access to these records for  operational purposes? Some of the data the Bureau may want to  use is personally identifiable information collected for other specific  purposes. In some cases, the Bureau may need to enter into  agreements with other agencies or levels of government to obtain  access. In other cases, legislative changes may be needed to provide  the Bureau with the necessary access authority. The Bureau will need  to be sensitive to the time involved for these efforts so that it has the  access it may need in time for 2020.
To what extent will the public accept the sharing of personal data  across government agencies for purposes of the census? The  Bureau and others have ongoing research exploring public  perceptions on topics such as trust, the potential for decreased  burden on respondents, and the social benefits of sharing data. This  research is also exploring the factors relating to public outreach that  the Bureau may need to focus on in order to enhance the public’s  acceptance of greater use of administrative records.
We have ongoing work examining the Bureau’s efforts to research the  use of administrative records for the 2020 Census, including the test in  Maricopa County, Arizona. We anticipate issuing the results this fall.
section_title: Reengineering How to Update the Bureau’s Address List and Maps of the Nation
paragraphs: The Bureau relies on a complete and accurate address list to identify all  households that are to receive a census questionnaire. The address list  also serves as the control mechanism for following up with non- responding households. Accurate addresses and precise maps are  critical for counting the population in the proper locations—the basis of  congressional reapportionment, redistricting, and allocations of federal aid  to state and local governments. In prior decades the Bureau employed  field staff to walk almost every street in the nation as one of several  operations to update the Bureau’s inventory of addresses and  geography—in 2013, we testified that the Bureau’s 2010 address  canvassing operation required 140,000 temporary workers to verify 145  million addresses at a cost of $444 million. The Bureau has relied on this  operation to help identify hidden housing units—that is, people living in,  for example, converted basements or lofts—as well as changes to the  address list such as from newly constructed or demolished residences.
To reduce the scope of this operation, the Bureau is focusing on areas  that it believes have experienced change, such as rapid recent housing  development, and for which the Bureau has no data sources capturing  those changes. The Bureau is working with the U.S. Postal Service, other  federal agencies, and state, local, and tribal governments on an initiative  that allows government agencies at all levels to regularly share and  continuously update their address lists and road data with the Bureau. To  help fill in gaps and better target reduced resources, in January 2015 the  Bureau solicited information from commercial firms on their capabilities to  detect changes in addresses in local areas. Additionally, in February 2015  the Bureau solicited commercial proposals to provide national address or  imagery datasets. The Bureau recently completed tests of some modeling  methods to help identify where updates are most needed, and has  additional tests planned for 2016. The Bureau estimates it will save up to  $1 billion with the successful implementation of this initiative.
Going forward, the Bureau’s success at more efficiently updating its  address list and maps depends on how it resolves questions such as the  following:
Which map and address data sources are the most cost- effective? In October 2014, we found that the Bureau needed to  implement processes for reviewing the cost and quality of data source  selections and for documenting support for those decisions while  documenting management approval of key data source decisions.  The Bureau agreed with our corrective recommendations and is  taking steps to address them. The Bureau has ongoing research to  determine how best to measure cost and quality trade-offs in data  sources.
Will the Bureau be able to complete a nationwide continuous  update of its addresses and maps in time for 2020? With over  3,200 counties in the country, in addition to other local and state  governments the Bureau might be partnering with, the Bureau has  much work to do. In October 2014, we recommended that the Bureau  develop a detailed plan with measurable goals for the updating  initiative and track performance against these goals.agreed with our recommendations and is taking steps to address  them. In November 2013, we also reported on weaknesses in the  Bureau’s scheduling practices related to its address list development  activity. The Bureau recently announced it had improved the  organization of its entire 2020 Census schedule to at least in part  respond to these concerns.
How will the Bureau decide where to conduct door-to-door  canvassing? Removing geographic areas from the possible door-to- door canvassing workload requires being able to predict which areas  are stable and which areas have undetected change. The Bureau is  investigating a variety of statistical models and other novel  approaches, such as the use of automated tools to scan aerial  imagery for new developments, to inform how to target resources.
section_title: Reengineering the Management of Field Operations
paragraphs: The Bureau is researching and testing ways to more efficiently and  effectively manage its multiple field operations for the 2020 Census. For  example, the Bureau is researching ways to use an operational control  system that automatically manages tasks and decisionmaking, such as  case assignment and prioritization. The Bureau is also researching use of  mobile devices to collect data in the field, automated human resources  functions (e.g., payroll, recruiting), automated training, and reorganization  of the roles of field managers. The Bureau is actively testing each of  these changes alongside more traditional methods in its ongoing test in  Arizona. These changes could reduce the costs for staff, training, and  paper processing as well as the number of temporary census offices. The  Bureau estimates it could save up to $2.3 billion with the implementation  of this initiative.
We have previously testified to this Committee about the importance of  the Bureau’s organizational culture and human capital planning in  enabling management to achieve cost savings with its business practices   The Bureau is taking many steps that show promise, such  and systems.as with its internal reorganization, and its efforts to identify critical skills  gaps as we discuss later in the statement. If the Bureau is to attain the  tremendous cost savings that it estimates from its field management  reengineering efforts, it will need to resolve questions such as:
Will the Bureau be able to fully test systems, procedures, field  operations and people in time for 2020? Prior to the 2010 Census,  concerns about the testing of key operations under census-like  conditions led us to designate that census a high-risk program. It will  be important for the Bureau to make progress in all areas of field  reengineering so that it is ready for its planned end-to-end testing in  2018.
Later this year, we plan to review the Bureau’s efforts in this cost-savings  area, as well as the IT systems that will heavily support this initiative.
section_title: Maximizing Self-Response and Offering an Internet Option
paragraphs: To hold down costs, the Bureau will need higher rates of public  participation, because that will reduce the need for enumerators to visit  non-responding households. According to the Bureau, for the 2010  Census, approximately 635,000 employees were hired for non-response  follow-up at a cost of more than $1.6 billion. As previously mentioned, the  Bureau is conducting a test in Savannah, Georgia, and the surrounding  area to explore ways to encourage households to respond using the  Internet with advertising and outreach. These efforts have the potential to  save money by reducing the need for enumerators, printing, postage, and  paper, and can speed up data collection. The Bureau estimates these  efforts could save around $500 million.
We reported in February 2015 that the Bureau’s efforts to deliver an  Internet response option were under way. These efforts included  developing a web application for use in major field tests, as well as  researching methods for promoting the Internet response option and  allowing households to respond online without a Bureau-issued  identification number (to authenticate respondents). However, the Bureau  had yet to establish reliable estimates of how much it will cost to deliver  an Internet response option. Moreover, the Bureau did not have  integrated schedules for completing the work, nor did it have plans and  time frames for addressing IT infrastructure scalability needs. For  example, the Internet response option for the 2020 Census is expected to  require a much greater data processing and storage capacity than the  Bureau’s existing IT infrastructure can support, and Bureau officials  stated that they plan to use a cloud environment to provide the increased  IT infrastructure.
The Bureau was not positioned to answer research questions critical to  determining how much larger it should scale its IT infrastructure in time  for the upcoming September 2015 design decision. We also found the  Bureau had not yet established high-level time frames for when key cloud  computing decisions needed to be made. Bureau IT Directorate officials  stated that they had not yet established time frames due to a lack of  internal cloud computing expertise and that they were planning to use a  contractor to assist in assessing cloud computing technologies for the  2020 Census. While this assistance may be helpful, without, at a  minimum, high-level time frames, the Bureau will not know whether there  is enough time to successfully acquire and implement a cloud solution for  the 2020 Census.
In our February 2015 report, we recommended that the Bureau update  estimated costs for the Internet response option and ensure future cost  estimates are reliable, develop methodologies for answering key research  questions, and establish high-level time frames for cloud computing  decisions. The Bureau neither agreed nor disagreed with the  recommendations but identified actions to address some of them. For  example, the Bureau stated that it planned to revise the 2020 Census  cost estimate once the September 2015 design decision is made. The  Bureau also stated that it had established a plan and implementation  team—the 2020 Census Concept of Operations—to document results of  the design decision, including the Internet self-response rate and key  dates for making decisions.
In addition to these challenges, the Bureau will need to resolve other  operational questions before it can realize cost savings in this area,  including the following:
What methods work best to convince diverse audiences to self- respond in a digital environment? In the Savannah, Georgia, test,  the Bureau is exploring how to target various audiences through  social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, and the effect on  response rates over the Internet.
How can non-Internet response options be improved, for those  without access to the Internet? The Bureau has historically  provided support for completing questionnaires at locations within  communities and over the telephone. The Bureau will need to  examine how if at all it can improve such efforts to help people  complete their questionnaires.
section_title: Major 2020 Census Cost- Saving Initiatives Rely on, among Other Things, Effective Implementation of a Large and Complex IT Development Effort
paragraphs: In October 2014, the Bureau initiated an enterprise-wide IT initiative  called the Census Enterprise Data Collection and Processing (CEDCAP)  program, which is intended to deliver a “system of systems” to serve all of  the Bureau’s survey data collection and processing functions—rather than  continuing to build and maintain unique, survey-specific systems with  redundant capabilities. Most importantly for the 2020 Census, CEDCAP is  expected to deliver the systems and IT infrastructure needed to  implement the Bureau’s cost-savings initiatives. For example:
To reengineer field work, CEDCAP is expected to implement a new  dynamic operational control system to track and manage field work  that can make decisions on which visits enumerators should attempt  on a daily basis using real-time data, as well as provide automated  route planning to make enumerator travel more efficient. CEDCAP  also includes testing the use of mobile devices, either government- furnished or employee-owned, to automate data collection in the field.
To maximize self-response with the use of the Internet response  option, CEDCAP is responsible for developing and testing a web- based survey application and exploring options for establishing the IT  infrastructure to support the increased volume of data processing and  storage.
CEDCAP is a large and complex modernization program, consisting of 14  projects that are to deliver CEDCAP capabilities incrementally, through  the deployment of over 10 versions. The Bureau expects to reuse  selected systems, make modifications to other systems, and develop or  acquire additional systems and infrastructure. As of March 2015, the  CEDCAP program was projected to cost about $548 million through 2020.
The September 2015 design decision that is expected to result from the  Bureau’s ongoing research and testing is also intended to drive the  business requirements for the systems and infrastructure that CEDCAP  will be expected to deliver. However, as noted in our April 2014 report,  the Bureau had not prioritized key IT research and testing needed for the  fast-approaching September 2015 design decision. Specifically, the  Bureau was not completing the necessary plans and schedules for  research and testing efforts and prioritizing what needs to be done by  September 2015—a milestone that had already been pushed back by a  year (see fig. 3) and cannot afford to slip further. We concluded that,  given the current trajectory and the lack of supporting schedules and  plans, it was unlikely that all planned IT-related research and testing  activities would be completed in time to support the September 2015  design decision.
These findings were particularly concerning since we had reported in  November 2012 that, during the early stages of research and testing, key  research and testing project plans were incomplete.recommended at that time that the Bureau ensure that documentation for  projects was complete and the Bureau agreed, incomplete project plans  continued to be an issue 2 years later.
In light of these ongoing challenges, we recommended in our April 2014  report that the Bureau prioritize its IT-related research and testing  projects that need to be completed to support the design decision and  develop schedules and plans to reflect the new prioritized approach. The  Bureau agreed with our recommendations and has taken steps to  address them. For example, in September 2014, the Bureau released a  plan that identified inputs, such as research questions, design  components, and testing, that was needed to inform the September 2015  design decision.
However, as we reported in February 2015,determined how key IT research questions that had been identified as  critical inputs into the design decision—estimating the Internet self- response rate and determining the IT infrastructure for security and  scalability needed to support Internet response—were to be answered.  Bureau officials stated that they had begun to establish projects  responsible for addressing these questions, but they did not have time  frames for when these new projects would develop a planned research  methodology. We emphasized that, with 8 months remaining until the  design decision was to be made and major tests already designed or  completed, the Bureau had limited time to determine how these critical  questions would be answered to inform a key design decision.   the Bureau had not yet  Given the Bureau’s prior and existing challenges, as well as the  importance of CEDCAP to the successful delivery of an accurate,  efficient, and secure 2020 Census, we identified CEDCAP as an IT  investment in need of attention in our February 2015 High-Risk report.We plan to conduct a review of the CEDCAP program for this Committee  later this year.
section_title: Census Bureau Has Demonstrated Improvements in IT Management, but Faces Critical Gaps in IT Workforce and Information Security
paragraphs: As we have previously reported, the Bureau’s past efforts to implement  new approaches and IT systems have not always gone well. For  example, leading up to the 2010 Census, fundamental weaknesses in key  IT management practices contributed to the Bureau not being able to  successfully deploy custom-developed handheld enumeration devices for  non-response follow-up, which increased the cost of that Census by up to  $3 billion. The Bureau has made progress in practices related to IT  governance and requirements management, but more work is needed to  address critical workforce gaps and information security.
subsections: section_title: Progress Made in IT Governance and Requirements Management
paragraphs: Institutionalizing key IT management controls, such as IT governance,  system development methodology, and requirements management  processes, helps establish a consistent and repeatable process for  managing and overseeing IT investments and reduces the risk of  experiencing cost overruns, schedule slippages, and performance  shortfalls, like those that affected the previous census.
The Bureau has made progress in strengthening these areas in response  to recommendations we made in September 2012. Specifically, we  found that the Bureau lacked a sufficiently mature IT governance process  to ensure that investments are properly controlled and monitored, and did  not have a comprehensive system development methodology, and that  effective requirements management continued to be a long-standing  challenge for the Bureau. We made several recommendations to address  these issues, and the Bureau took actions to fully implement all of them.  For example, the Bureau addressed gaps in policies and procedures related to IT governance,  such as establishing guidelines on the frequency of investment review  board meetings and thresholds for escalation of cost, risk, or impact  issues; finalized its adoption of an enterprise system development life-cycle  methodology, which included the short incremental development  model, referred to as Agile, and a process for continuously improving  the methodology based on lessons learned; and implemented a consistent requirements development tool that  includes guidance for developing requirements at the strategic  mission, business, and project levels and is integrated with its  enterprise system development life-cycle methodology.
As a result, the Bureau has established a consistent process for  managing and overseeing its IT investments.
section_title: IT Workforce Planning Has Improved, but Critical Gaps Continue to Exist
paragraphs: Effective workforce planning is essential to ensure organizations have the  proper skills, abilities, and capacity for effective management. While the  Bureau has made progress in IT workforce planning efforts, many critical  IT competency gaps remain to be filled. In September 2012 we reported,  among other things, that the Bureau had not developed a Bureau-wide IT  workforce plan; identified gaps in mission-critical IT occupations, skills,  and competencies; or developed strategies to address gaps.  Accordingly, we recommended that the Bureau establish a repeatable  process for performing IT skills assessments and gap analyses and  establish a process for directorates to coordinate on IT workforce  planning. In response, in 2013 the Bureau completed an enterprise-wide  competency assessment and identified several mission-critical gaps in  technical competencies. In 2014 the Bureau established documents to  institutionalize a strategic workforce planning process, identified actions  and targets to close the competency gaps by December 2015, and  established a process to monitor quarterly status reports on the  implementation of these actions.
These are positive steps in establishing strategic workforce planning  capabilities; however, more work remains for the Bureau to close  competency gaps critical to the implementation of its IT efforts. As we  reported in February 2015, the Bureau’s workforce competency  assessment identified several mission-critical gaps that would challenge  its ability to deliver IT-related initiatives, such as the IT systems that are   For example, the Bureau found  expected to be delivered by CEDCAP. that competency gaps existed in cloud computing, security integration  and engineering, enterprise/mission engineering life-cycle, requirements  development, and Internet data collection. The Bureau also found that  enterprise-level competency gaps existed in program and project  management, budget and cost estimation, systems development, data  analytics, and shared services. The Bureau’s efforts to monitor the status  of its efforts to close these competency gaps will be critical to ensuring  the Bureau has the skills it needs to effectively deliver IT solutions for the  2020 Census.
GAO, 2020 Census: Key Challenges Need to Be Addressed to Successfully Enable  Internet Response, GAO-15-225 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 5, 2015).
section_title: Limited Assurance That Information Systems Are Adequately Secured
paragraphs: Critical to the Bureau’s ability to perform its data collection and analysis  duties are its information systems and the protection of the information  they contain. A data breach could result in the public’s loss of confidence  in the Bureau, thus affecting its ability to collect census data. To ensure  the reliability of their computerized information, agencies should design  and implement controls to prevent, limit, and detect unauthorized access  to computing resources, programs, information, and facilities.  Inadequate design or implementation of access controls increases the  risk of unauthorized disclosure, modification, and destruction of sensitive  information and disruption of service.
In January 2013, we reported on the Bureau’s implementation of  information security controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and  availability of the information and systems that support its mission. We  concluded that the Bureau had a number of weaknesses in controls  intended to limit access to its systems and information, as well as those  related to managing system configurations and unplanned events. We  attributed these weaknesses to the fact that the Bureau had not fully  implemented a comprehensive information security program, and made   The  115 recommendations aimed at addressing these deficiencies.Bureau expressed broad agreement with the report and said it would  work to find the best ways to address our recommendations.
However, to date, the Bureau has fully addressed only 19 of the 115  recommendations, and while it is making progress on others, significant  work remains. For example, the Bureau has implemented elements of a  comprehensive information security program, such as establishing  appropriate policies and procedures, providing security awareness  training, and addressing incident response weaknesses; however, among  many other things, it is not yet comprehensively assessing risk.
Given that the Bureau is considering using IT systems to collect the  public’s personal information for the 2020 Census in ways that it has not  in previous censuses (e.g., web-based surveys, cloud computing, and  enabling enumerators to use their personally owned mobile devices to  collect census data), implementing our security recommendations from  over 2 years ago must be a high priority. Until then, the Bureau will have  limited assurance that its information and systems, including those  needed for the 2020 Census, are being adequately protected against  unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, disruption, or loss.
In summary, the Bureau is pursuing initiatives to significantly reform its  outdated and inefficient methods of conducting decennial censuses.  However, with only 3-and-a-half years remaining until the Bureau plans to  have all systems and processes for the 2020 Census developed and  ready for end-to-end system testing, the magnitude of the planned  changes, the Bureau’s prior track record, and existing challenges, the  2020 Census program faces significant risk. As the Bureau approaches  the September 2015 preliminary decision deadline, it needs to ensure that  it only commits to what its capacity can truly accommodate. In addition,  the Bureau will need to ensure that quality and information security are  effectively managed in a census design that may entail significant  change. Moreover, the Bureau needs to take action to address the  specific challenges we have highlighted in prior reports. If these actions  are not taken, cost overruns, schedules delays, and performance  shortfalls may diminish the potentially significant cost savings that the  Bureau estimates will result from redesigning the census for 2020.
Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Carper, and Members of the  Committee, this completes our prepared statement. We would be pleased  to respond to any questions that you may have.
section_title: Contacts and Acknowledgments
paragraphs: If you have any questions concerning this statement, please contact Carol  Cha, Director, Information Technology Acquisition Management Issues, at  (202) 512-4456 or chac@gao.gov or Robert Goldenkoff, Director,  Strategic Issues, at (202) 512-2757 or goldenkoffr@gao.gov. Other  individuals who made key contributions include Shannin O’Neill and Ty  Mitchell, Assistant Directors; Jeffrey DeMarco; Lee McCracken; Jeanne  Sung; and Timothy Wexler.
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