Better Federal Contract Data and Performance

Government Executive

The federal government has launched a Better Contracting Initiative centered on a four-prong set of data- and performance-centered buying strategies, envisioning savings of up to $10 billion a year.

Unlocking the Power of Data – Interview with Amy Edwards Holmes

Barrett & Greene

B&G interview Holmes, executive director of the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, to gain insights on her career in government as well as upcoming plans for GovEx work in the coming year.

Launch of UK’s Performance Tracker 2023

Institute for Government

This “Week in Public Services” summarizes a 300-page report describing UK trends in health, education, infrastructure, local authority finances, law enforcement, etc.

Customer Experience Metrics at the Department of Veterans Affairs

U.S. Office of Management and Budget

Data analyzed for the first time by the Veterans Health Affairs’ National Center for Organizational Development shows a positive relationship between improving employee engagement and overall customer experience. This study shows how customer experience can drive trust in government.

Federal Spending Transparency Needs Improved

U.S. Government Accountability Office

Federal agencies must report their spending data on USASpending.gov, but GAO found 49 agencies did not report their data, in part because which agencies are required to report is unclear in the law. GAO recommends the law be clarified.

New On-Line Dashboard in Austin City’s Auditor Office

Barrett & Greene

Many audit shops follow up regularly on the status of their recommendations. However, these are usually found in documents like year-end reports or individual follow-up audits. Austin has created a dashboard that allows stakeholders to see this kind of information, easily and in real time.

A Federal Competency Model for Program Evaluators

Federal News Network

“The [33] competencies identified may be used by agencies in the workforce planning, recruitment, employee selection, training and development and performance management for their program evaluation positions,” Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja said.

States Create “Triple-demic” Dashboards for Flu Season

RouteFifty

To help health care systems and communities prepare for a potential upswing in viral cases, some state health departments are refreshing their respiratory illness dashboards. An upgrade to the COVID dashboards that popped up nationwide during the pandemic, “tripledemic” dashboards track data on COVID, RSV, and flu viruses together. 

Resource of the Week: Using Canva to Create Logic Models and Theory of Change

Fresh Spectrum

A “how to” blog post on using the Canva data visualization software platform to create logic models and a basic theory of change model, along with some starter templates.