Government Efficiency And Effectiveness

In summary, GAO's 2013 annual report identifies 31 new areas where agencies may be able to achieve greater efficiency or effectiveness. Within these 31 areas, GAO identifies 81 actions that the executive branch or Congress could take to address the issues GAO identified. Although it may be appropriate for multiple agencies or entities to be involved in the same programmatic or policy area due to the nature or magnitude of the federal effort, GAO's report includes 17 areas of fragmentation, overlap, or duplication where multiple programs and activities may be creating inefficiencies. The report also identifies 14 additional areas where opportunities exist to achieve cost savings or enhance revenue collections.
The executive branch and Congress have made some progress in addressing the areas that GAO previously identified. In our 2011 and 2012 annual reports, GAO identified approximately 300 actions among 131 overall areas that the executive branch and Congress could take to reduce or eliminate fragmentation, overlap, or duplication or achieve other potential financial benefits. As of March 6, 2013, the date GAO completed its progress update audit work, 16 of the 131 overall areas were addressed; 87 were partially addressed; and 27 were not addressed. Within these areas, 65 of the approximately 300 individual actions were addressed. However, 149 actions were partially addressed and 85 actions remain not addressed, highlighting the need for sustained attention and leadership.