2020 Census: Bureau Is Making Progress Opening Offices and Recruiting, but Could Improve Its Ability to Evaluate Training

The decennial census is a crucial, constitutionally mandated activity with immutable deadlines. To meet these statutory deadlines, the Bureau carries out thousands of activities that need to be successfully completed on schedule for an accurate, cost-effective head count. These activities include opening area census offices, recruiting and hiring a large temporary workforce, and training that workforce.

GAO was asked to review the Bureau's plans for critical logistical support activities. This report (1) assesses the Bureau's progress in opening area census offices; (2) determines the extent to which the Bureau is following its field hiring and recruiting strategy for the 2020 Census; and (3) determines the extent to which the Bureau has followed its plans for training field staff, and whether this training approach is consistent with selected leading practices.

To assess the extent to which the Bureau is following its plans for opening area census offices, recruiting and hiring, and training, GAO reviewed current Bureau planning documents and schedules, and interviewed Bureau officials, including officials at the Bureau's six regional offices. GAO used its guide to training ( GAO-04-546G ) as criteria for selected leading practices.

To help control the cost of the 2020 Census while maintaining accuracy, the Census Bureau (Bureau) is making significant changes in three areas—office space, recruiting and hiring, and training—compared to prior decennials. The Bureau is reducing its use of office space, hiring fewer census field staff, and adopting a blended training approach of instructor-led, computer-based, and hands-on training (see figure).

GAO found that the the Bureau generally appears to be positioned to carry out these activities as planned, if implemented properly.

Opening offices. While the Bureau experienced early delays when regions were trying to find office space and acquire leases, Bureau officials said that the deadlines for the later phases of renovations will allow them to make up time lost. As of June 2019, there were signed leases for 247 of 248 offices.

Recruiting and hiring. As of June 2019, the Bureau was exceeding its recruiting goals for early operations, but identified challenges in areas such as completing background checks and hiring during low unemployment, especially for partnership specialist positions. GAO will continue to monitor these challenges, as recruiting and hiring for the census continues.

Training. The Bureau generally followed its training plans for 2020 and generally followed selected leading practices for its training approach. However, GAO found that the Bureau does not have goals and performance measures for evaluating its new training approach. Without goals and performance measures the Bureau will not be able to accurately assess the cost and benefits of its new training approach.

The Secretary of Commerce should direct the U.S. Census Bureau to revise plans to include goals and performance measures for evaluating its new training approach. The Department of Commerce agreed with GAO's recommendation.

The decennial census is a crucial, constitutionally mandated activity with  immutable deadlines. The U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) is required by  law to count the population as of April 1, 2020; deliver state  apportionment counts to the President by December 31, 2020; and  provide redistricting data to the states by April 1, 2021. To meet these  deadlines, the Bureau carries out thousands of activities that need to be  successfully completed on schedule for an accurate, cost-effective head  count. These activities include opening area census offices, recruiting and  hiring a large temporary workforce, and training that workforce. An  operation of this scale with these fixed deadlines comes at a high cost  and with many risks.

The Bureau estimates the 2020 Decennial Census could cost as much as  $15.6 billion after adjusting for inflation to the current 2020 Census time  frame (fiscal years 2012 to 2023), which would be the most expensive  decennial census to date. In February 2017, we added the 2020 Census  to our High-Risk List because of operational and other issues, and the  census remains on our 2019 High-Risk List as these issues have  persisted.

In an attempt to control escalating costs, the Bureau re-engineered its  approach to the 2020 Census. Among other innovations, the Bureau is  making logistical changes, such as using an electronic case management  system to assign door-to-door field work for two of its largest field  operations—address canvassing and nonresponse follow-up. This  change is intended to allow the Bureau to reduce its footprint by opening  fewer offices and hiring fewer people than in 2010. The Bureau also plans  to incorporate technology into its training processes, such as using web- based training.

You asked us to review the Bureau’s plans for critical logistical support  activities. This report (1) assesses the Bureau’s progress in opening area  census offices; (2) determines the extent to which the Bureau is following  its field hiring and recruiting strategy for the 2020 Census; and (3)  determines the extent to which the Bureau has followed its plans for  training field staff, and whether this training approach is consistent with  selected leading practices.

To address our objectives, we reviewed current Bureau planning  documents and schedules, and we interviewed Bureau officials, including  officials at the Bureau’s six regional offices. To assess the status of those  logistical support activities, we interviewed Bureau officials and compared  the current status of the activities to the Bureau’s plans, schedules, and  timelines, and identified differences. We also reviewed a randomly  selected non-generalizable sample of Area Census Office (ACO) files at  the Philadelphia Regional Census Center (RCC) to determine whether  justification was included when changes to ACO locations occurred.

As part of our analysis of the Bureau’s new training approach, we  compared the Bureau’s planned approach to 11 selected leading  practices from GAO’s Guide to Assessing Strategic Training and  Development Efforts in the Federal Government. The guide includes four  phases of training—planning/analysis, design/development,  implementation, and evaluation. This report includes the  design/development and evaluation phases of training. We did not assess  the implementation phase because field staff training for the 2020 Census  had not yet begun during our audit.

We also did not assess the planning/analysis phase because practices in  that phase are more applicable to agency-wide rather than program- specific training development, and focus on full-time permanent  employees rather than temporary employees. Within the  design/development phase and evaluation phase, we did not assess all  best practices because some of those best practices were also more  applicable to agency-wide rather than program-specific training development, or we had already evaluated the practices such as the  cost. This report primarily focuses on training for the address canvassing  and nonresponse follow-up operations. For more details on our scope  and methodology, see appendix I.

We conducted this performance audit from August 2018 to July 2019 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.

Counting the nation’s approximately 140 million households is an  enormous undertaking requiring such essential logistics as the opening of  hundreds of area offices to conduct essential field activities, recruiting and  hiring hundreds of thousands of temporary workers to carry out those  activities, and developing an approach to training those employees. To  help control costs while maintaining accuracy, the Bureau is making  significant changes in each of these areas compared to prior decennials.

According to Bureau planning documents, the Bureau intends to use  technology to efficiently and effectively manage the 2020 Census  fieldwork, and as a result, reduce the staffing, infrastructure, and brick- and-mortar footprint required for the 2020 Census. The three main  components of the reengineered field operations are increased use of  technology, increased management and staff productivity, and  streamlined office and staffing structure.

The Bureau’s 2020 Operational Plan states that 2020 Census field  operations will rely heavily on automation. For example, the Bureau plans  to provide most listers—temporary staff who verify and update addresses  and maps—and enumerators— temporary staff who follow up with  households that do not respond to the census questionnaire—with the  capability to receive work assignments and perform all administrative and  data collection tasks directly from a mobile device allowing them to work  remotely. Supervisors will also be able to work remotely from the field and  communicate with their staff via these devices—precluding them from  needing access to a nearby local office.

The Bureau’s 2020 Operational Plan states that these enhanced  capabilities will significantly reduce the number of offices required to  support 2020 Census fieldwork. In the 2010 Census, the Bureau  established 12 RCCs and nearly 500 ACOs. The new design for the 2020  Census field operations includes six RCCs with 248 ACOs. Those 248  will be split into two waves, with 39 of the offices opening for Wave 1 by  March 2019 to support early census operations such as in-field address  canvassing, and the remaining 209 opening for Wave 2 by September  2019.

Recruiting enough workers to fill the hundreds of thousands of temporary  positions needed to conduct the 2020 Census is a tremendous challenge.  According to Bureau plans before hiring begins, the Bureau needs to  assemble an applicant pool in the millions. For the decennial census,  Bureau plans indicate the Bureau will need a large and diverse workforce  to ensure the accuracy of its maps and address list, and to follow up by  phone or in person with households that do not respond to the  questionnaire. Making these efforts even more difficult are external  factors beyond the Bureau’s control, such as low unemployment rate,  which can make it harder to recruit.

According to Bureau plans, recruiting of potential employees will be  conducted throughout the ACOs’ geographic area, based on projected  operational workloads and staffing models developed for 2020 Census  operations. Selected candidates will be invited to be fingerprinted and  submit selected appointment paperwork prior to attending classroom  training. The candidates will be sworn in and hired during the first day of  training.

The ACO staff model is as follows: one ACO Manager, one Lead Census  Field Manager, one Administrative Manager, one Recruiting Manager,  one Information Technology (IT) Manager, and Office Operations  Supervisors, Clerks, and Recruiting Assistants. For data collection, it is:  multiple Census Field Managers, Census Field Supervisors, and  Enumerators; specific numbers based on workload; and supervisory  ratios to be determined (see fig. 1).

According to Bureau plans, the 2010 Census approach to training was  predominantly instructor-led training with some hands-on training. This  primarily consisted of instructors standing in front of a room of trainees  and reading training materials to them from a prepared script. For 2020,  the Bureau has developed training materials that use a blended training  approach including instructor-led training, computer-based training, and  hands-on training. This approach is intended to maximize trainee learning  and on-the-job performance during the 2020 Census. According to the  Bureau’s Detailed Operational Plan for the Field Infrastructure and  Decennial Logistics Management Operations, it has developed training  materials based on the lessons learned from previous censuses, such as  the need to provide computer-based training.

The Bureau’s Detailed Operational Plan for the Field Infrastructure and  Decennial Logistics Management Operations also states that this  innovation to training combines multiple modes of training delivery  designed to maximize training outcomes for various types of learning  styles: visual, auditory, and hands-on, blending online training methods,  instructor-led classroom training, and on-the-job training or role-playing to  prepare field staff to effectively fulfill their duties. Blended training is  intended to:

Provide a standardization of training, limiting the impact of instructor  interpretation.

Allow for easily updateable training materials in the case of errors or  operational changes, minimizing the burden of errata materials.

Provide automated assessment tools to enable a more consistent and  reliable way to measure learner understanding of concepts.

Provide post-training support through easily accessible online  manuals and job aids.

Training materials are designed to maximize self-paced learning. These  accompanying training materials are developed to provide the most up-to- date methodologies for recruiting, onboarding, and training-the-trainer to  carry out field data collection activities.

The Bureau’s Efforts to Open Area Census Offices Appear on Track, Despite Some Schedule Slippages

For the 2020 Census, the Bureau plans to open 248 ACOs. Similar to the  2010 Census, the total number of ACOs for 2020 was derived from the  projected workload for field operations based on the number of  enumerators needed for nonresponse follow-up. The Bureau allotted a  specific number of ACOs to each of its six regional offices. Regions then  developed boundaries for the ACO based on seven mandatory criteria  that are described in a program memorandum, including that every state  have at least one ACO; federally-recognized American Indian areas and  military bases (regardless of county, state, or regional boundaries) will be  managed by only one ACO; and ACO areas of responsibility will not cross  state boundaries (with the exception of Indian reservations and military  bases). See figure 2 below for the location of the 248 offices.

Requirements for Leased Office Space for Area Census Offices

In addition to the criteria used to delineate boundaries for its ACOs, the  Bureau also had requirements for the ACO leased space. These  requirements, for example, included that the ACO have a certain amount  of contiguous square footage depending on the ACO type, and that an  ACO not be co-located in a building that also houses agencies with law  enforcement responsibilities because of privacy and confidentiality  concerns. The Bureau also designated an “area of consideration” for each  of its ACOs. According to Bureau officials, the area of consideration,  which is a smaller geographic range where they would like to house the  office, was based on such factors as access to public transit, general  centrality within the ACO work boundaries, and proximity to eating  establishments.

In some cases, the Bureau had to deviate from its requirements for  leased space or initial area of consideration. The decision to deviate from  requirements usually arose from a lack of viable options in the real-estate  market coupled with the Bureau’s need to meet its time frames. According  to RCC staff, any deviations from requirements were presented at weekly  staff meetings and then subsequently approved by the Regional Director,  and in some cases such as co-location with law enforcement Bureau  Headquarters approval was needed.

According to Bureau officials, co-location with law enforcement is  sensitive because of concerns that census data may be shared with  others. Census data are kept confidential for 72 years. However, Bureau  officials told us either the law enforcement offices were deemed  innocuous, for example, the office housed a public defender or the law  enforcement offices operated undercover, whereby no one entering the  building would have been aware of their presence.

In another case, Bureau officials told us that the Philadelphia region was  struggling to find space for its ACO in Frederick, Maryland. When the  General Services Administration (GSA) proposed a space in Hagerstown,  Maryland, 30 miles away, the Bureau accepted it, though it was outside  the initial area of consideration. According to officials at the regional  office, the Bureau saved time and money by using a readily available  cost-effective option by choosing Hagerstown, Maryland. The Bureau also  had to expand the area of consideration for more than 31 percent or 77 of  its 248 ACOs. According to Bureau officials, designating an area of  consideration was an iterative process based on market availability, and  having to expand the area was often necessary to secure space (see  table 1).

In select cases, the Bureau co-located ACOs in the same building. For  example, instead of having one office in North Philadelphia and one in  South Philadelphia, Bureau officials in the Philadelphia Region Census  Center agreed to accept space in the same building located within the  boundaries of the South Philadelphia ACO. The Bureau hired staff for  each ACO from the original designated areas and kept the two offices  completely separated. Bureau officials provided documentation indicating  that this compromise came with considerable cost savings.

The Bureau also abandoned other planned requirements in a number of  cases to secure space, such as access to loading docks, assigned  parking, and freight elevators.

When we reviewed selected ACO files at the regional offices to determine  whether the files included support for when deviations from space  requirements and initial areas of consideration were documented, we did  not find documentation. Instead, documentation was in staff emails. Files  included a checklist of documents required, such as the signed lease and  design intent drawings; however, there was not a requirement that  documentation of deviations from space requirements or initial areas of  consideration be maintained. Bureau officials at the regional level said  that all procedures for handling waivers and expansions of the area of  consideration were driven by the RCCs as well as informal guidance that  was not documented.

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government calls for  documentation and records to be properly managed and maintained.  Based on our suggestion that the Bureau develop a procedure for  documenting these deviations in ACO areas of consideration or  requirements, Bureau officials sent an email requiring that staff keep  documentation (electronic or paper) on deviations in ACO areas of  consideration or requirements in the ACO’s lease file folders. In cases  where decisions are made via telephone or email, Bureau officials asked  staff to write notes and scan emails, and add them to the ACO files.  Maintaining this documentation will help ensure the transparency and  integrity of Bureau decision-making, and ensure the information is readily  available.

The Bureau Is Managing Schedule Slippage in Opening Area Census Offices

The Bureau experienced some early delays when regions were trying to  find space and acquire leases. The Bureau attributed some of these  delays to the use of the GSA’s Automated Advanced Acquisition Program  (AAAP) process. This procurement process provides building owners and  their authorized representatives with the opportunity to offer general  purpose office space for lease to the federal government. The AAAP  process accepts bids the first week of each monthly cycle. Then the  remaining three weeks of the month are used to evaluate submitted offers  and identify a potential lessor.

According to GSA documents, in tight real estate markets, the first cycle  did not always yield a suitable lessor due to lack of available inventory,  and the short lease term the Bureau was seeking. Therefore, the Bureau  had to wait three weeks until the start of the next cycle to re-open the  bidding process. Bureau officials stated that during these 3 weeks, the  Bureau regions would conduct additional market outreach and  communicate outreach efforts with GSA to find a lessor.

According to GSA, they agreed that too much time was elapsing in Wave  I trying to receive offers without making any changes to the requirements  or areas of consideration. To address this issue for Wave 2, the Bureau  stated that GSA provided additional training to the Bureau’s regional staff,  increased market outreach which included dedicated support from GSA’s  national office, and the development of a strategy to use all of GSA’s  tools, such as using GSA’s contract brokers in regions with the greatest  number of Wave 2 ACOs. Bureau regional staff also told us they were  able to meet leasing milestones in part because of flexibility in their  requirements and in the areas of consideration.

As of June 2019, there were signed leases for 247 of 248 offices.  However, during our review, the Bureau reported that it had missed  several construction (meaning renovations such as new electrical layouts,  heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and deployment deadlines.  According to Bureau documents, for Wave 1 offices, nine of 39 offices  had missed the February 28, 2019 deadline for having furniture and IT  equipment; and for Wave 2 offices, 49 of 209 offices missed the February  20, 2019 deadline for having construction drawings complete. According  to Bureau officials they are managing each of these delays on an office- by-office basis, and headquarters officials meet weekly with the RCCs to  discuss the status of each office. They are also actively communicating  with GSA on how to best work with the landlord to meet deadlines.

Agency officials also indicated that the schedule deadlines for the later  phases of construction allow for more time than may be necessary,  allowing them to make up time lost from early delays. For example, at the  Concord, New Hampshire ACO, the Bureau plans to make up lost time in  construction with actions such as using a fence to divide two office areas  instead of adding a wall, and using a “cage” for badging instead of  constructing a separate room inside the space. As of June 3, 2019, 38 of  39 Wave 1 offices are ready for business. Seven of 209 Wave 2 offices  are still working to finish the milestone of completing construction  drawings, which had an original deadline of February 20, 2019. According  to Bureau officials, the seven offices without completed construction  drawings are being given priority attention by both GSA and the Bureau.  We will continue to monitor the opening of ACOs in ongoing work.

The Bureau Has Exceeded Its Early Recruiting Goals for the 2020 Census; However, It Faces Some Challenges Going Forward

The Bureau Has Exceeded Its Early Recruiting Goals

According to Bureau reporting documents, as of June 2019, the Bureau is  exceeding its recruiting goals for early operations. This includes field staff  for in-field address canvassing where census staff verify address and  map information for housing units in selected areas of the country, office  staff at the 39 Wave 1 ACOs, recruiting assistants, and partnership  specialists. The Bureau had a goal of recruiting approximately 205,000  individuals for its 2020 early operations efforts by the end of June 2019,  and plans to recruit between 2.4 million and 2.6 million applicants for all  field operations. By comparison, in 2010, the Bureau recruited about 3.9  million applicants. As of June 17, 2019, the Bureau had processed job  applications and assessments for approximately 428,000 applicants  which represent about 208 percent of its roughly 205,000 recruiting goal.

For the 2020 Census, the Bureau plans to hire nearly 400,000 temporary  field staff from its applicant pool for two key operations: in-field address  canvassing and nonresponse follow-up, where census staff visit  households that do not return census forms to collect data in person. In  2010, the Bureau hired approximately 628,000 temporary workers to  conduct the address canvassing and nonresponse follow-up field  operations. Below is the recruiting and hiring timeline for the in-field  address canvassing and nonresponse follow-up operations (see fig. 3).

According to Bureau officials, they are recruiting and hiring fewer  temporary staff in 2020 compared to 2010, in part, because automation  has made field operations more efficient. For example, there is less paper  to manage and process as daily payroll records and daily field work  assignments are electronic. As a result, productivity has increased and  mileage and labor costs have decreased because census field staff do  not meet daily with their supervisors, as was the case in 2010. Moreover,  the automation of assignment routing to housing units has optimized the  time spent by enumerators driving to housing units. During the 2018 End- to-End Test, the Bureau found the productivity for in-field address  canvassing had exceeded its goal at all three test sites (see table 2). The  Bureau attributes these efficiencies to the automation of work  assignments.

The Bureau Plans to Use Successful Recruitment Strategies from Prior Censuses while Leveraging Technology

For the 2020 Census, the Bureau plans to use some of the same  strategies it used to recruit and hire all temporary workers as during the  2010 Census—because those strategies were successful—while also  leveraging technology and social media. For example, according to the  Bureau, the overarching strategy for hiring enumerators is to hire people  who will work in the communities where they live. This strategy provides  the Bureau with enumerators who are familiar with the areas where they  will be working and who speak the languages of the local community. To  recruit staff, recruiting assistants are to work with local partnership staff  and use paid advertisements and earned media (e.g., publicity gained  through promotional efforts, news reports, etc.).

The Bureau plans to also continue to use its recruiting website,  http://www.2020census.gov/jobs, which provides information about the  various positions, local pay rates, application materials, and job  qualifications. Moreover, Bureau officials stated that a diverse multilingual  workforce is needed and that the Bureau has tailored its approach to that  end. For example, the website includes Spanish language pages and  recruitment materials (see fig. 4).

Bureau documentation indicates that similar to 2010, the Bureau will  continue to use waivers and hiring exemptions to enable well-qualified  individuals to work on the 2020 Census who otherwise might not have  applied for jobs, particularly in hard-to-recruit areas. These waivers allow  the Bureau to temporarily hire federal retirees and individuals receiving  public assistance without impacting their benefits, and to hire current  federal employees without impacting their job status or salary. As of  February 27, 2019, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had  given the Bureau approval to hire 44 re-employed annuitants for the 2020  Census. The Bureau also had dual employment agreements with 28  federal agencies and commissions.

For the 2010 Census, the Bureau had these agreements with a total of 81  federal agencies. To obtain waivers for individuals on public assistance,  the Bureau is partnering with the Office of Management and Budget and  working with Health and Human Services to obtain waivers for Temporary  Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance  Program recipients. The Bureau is also working with tribal governments to  acquire similar waivers.

In addition to these previously used strategies, the Bureau is planning to  leverage technology in its recruiting strategy for 2020. This technology  includes the Bureau-developed Response Outreach Area Mapper  (ROAM) application, a publicly available online mapping tool that Bureau  staff can use to better understand the sociodemographic makeup of their  assigned areas. The Bureau plans to use ROAM to identify areas where  recruiting could be hard and to develop recruitment strategies such as  hiring staff with specific language skills.

The new technology also includes the MOJO Recruiting Dashboard (also  referred to as MOJO Recruit), which is software for Census recruiting  personnel to plan and manage recruiting activities and track recruiting  progress. For example, MOJO Recruit includes an interactive mapping  feature which lets the Bureau plan recruiting activities and track recruiting  status for each census tract. The map draws attention to areas that may  be experiencing recruiting problems (see fig. 5). Red indicates areas  where the Bureau is less than 50 percent of the way toward meeting its  recruiting goal. Yellow indicates areas where the Bureau is 50 to 79  percent of the way toward meetings its goal. Green indicates areas where  the Bureau is 80 percent or higher of the way toward meetings its goal.

Bureau officials also stated that that they plan to increase the use of  social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to  promote and advertise 2020 Census job opportunities. For example, the  Bureau’s 2020 Census Recruitment Toolkit includes social media  guidelines, tips, sample posts, and sample email messages to assist  recruiting staff in providing information about 2020 Census job  opportunities. It also assists recruiting staff with responding to questions  and concerns or directing people to the appropriate location for more  information about jobs.

The Bureau Took Steps to Improve Its Application and Assessment Process for Potential Hires

For the 2020 Census, the Bureau revised its application and assessment  process to ease the burden on job applicants and to better assist the  Bureau in identifying qualified applicants. Job candidates are to apply and  take a skill assessment online, as opposed to attending recruiting  sessions in person and taking a written test. The Bureau has also  streamlined both the application and assessment process by asking fewer  questions and requiring only one assessment for all nonsupervisory  positions.

According to Bureau officials, the 2020 Census job application should  take 10 minutes to complete, by comparison the 2010 Census job  application took 30 minutes to complete. Moreover, for prior censuses,  applicants had to complete one of two 45-minute assessments to  determine the appropriate skill set for either working in the office or in the  field. For 2020, OPM has approved the Bureau giving one assessment for  all five short-term census positions: Recruiting Assistant, Clerk, Office  Operations Supervisor, Enumerator, and Census Field Supervisor,  thereby eliminating the need to give separate assessments for the office  and field positions. Finally, for those considering a supervisor position, a  separate supervisory assessment is required. For 2020, this consists of  nine questions compared to 29 questions in 2010. According to Bureau  officials, this supervisory assessment should take an additional 10  minutes to complete instead of 1 hour, as it did on 2010.

For 2020, the Bureau has also changed the assessment questions it asks  applicants from situational-judgment questions to biodata and personality  questions. In making this decision, during the 2018 End-to-End Test, the  Bureau asked situational-judgment questions in the assessment  questionnaire, and then administered a set of biodata and personality  questions after hiring. The Bureau conducted an analysis of both types of  questions and concluded that the biodata and personality questions were  a better predictor of job success. Bureau officials told us they will be  evaluating their new job assessment processes for 2020, including the  use of biodata.

Despite the Progress Made in Recruiting, the Bureau Still Faces Several Hiring Challenges

The Bureau has identified challenges that exist in some areas, such as:  (1) delayed background checks; (2) low unemployment; and (3) language  barriers.

Employment with the Bureau is contingent upon successfully completing  a background check. The Bureau found that the process for four positions  (recruiting assistants, office operation supervisors, clerks, and partnership  specialists) was taking longer than it expected. These positions require a  full background check because employees will have access to the  Bureau’s network, they will be issued expensive equipment (e.g., laptops  and desktops), and their employment will likely last more than 6 months.  For the full background checks, applicants must complete two security  background forms—Standard Form 85: Questionnaire for Nonsensitive  positions (SF85) through the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations  Processing system (e-QIP) and Optional Form 306: Declaration for  Federal Employment (OF306)—and must have their fingerprints  processed, in which the Federal Bureau of Investigations conducts a  review for any prior arrest or convictions.

Once completed, the forms are reviewed by the Census Investigative  Services (CIS) where OPM-trained staff make either a favorable,  unfavorable, or inconclusive precheck employment determination.  According to Bureau officials, certain crimes, for example violent crimes,  automatically exclude the applicant from further consideration. If the  determination is inconclusive, then CIS is to send the form to the Office of  Employee Relations to make a favorable or unfavorable determination. All  favorable determinations are then sent to OPM for adjudication with a full  background check (see fig. 6).

According to Bureau officials, in December of 2018, they began to  encounter a backlog of pre-employment background checks Bureau-wide  as they began hiring some 800 recruiting assistants and about 1,970  office staff for the first wave of 39 ACO openings. As of March 21, 2019,  Bureau officials told us that Bureau-wide there were 7,092 background  clearances pending, of which, 4,900 were for field positions. In response  to the backlog, Bureau leadership said it created a team to determine the  cause of the backlog and started having weekly meetings to prioritize  which job positions needed to be cleared first.

Bureau officials stated that the delays arose, in part, because a significant  number of applicants did not completely or correctly fill out the e-QIP  form. This, they said, coupled with the increase in required pre- employment background checks, resulted in a growing backlog of  clearances for which the Bureau did not have the resources to clear. In  response, in February 2019, the Bureau began to bring on, through a  combination of new hires and reassignments, about 130 temporary staff.  New staff was assigned to either review the forms for accuracy and  completeness prior to being submitted to the CIS office, or help the CIS  offices conduct the pre-employment background checks.

Additionally, Bureau officials told us that they meet weekly to reprioritize  job positions for the clearance process. The CIS office is to process  background checks for all Census employees requiring them, including  decennial census field staff, decennial census contractors, and staff  needed for nondecennial census surveys in headquarters and in the field.  According to Bureau officials, the decennial census takes precedence  and within the decennial census positions are also prioritized. For  example, in January 2019, the 800 recruiting assistants were given  priority and now the hiring of 1,501 partnership specialists has been given  priority.

Bureau officials told us that in December 2018 they were processing 110  background checks a week, and have set a goal that each CIS analyst  process 25 pre-employment packages a week. There are 40 analysts on  board, giving the Bureau the ability to process 1,000 pre-employment  background check packages a week. Bureau officials also told us that  they anticipate the clearance process for the positions of enumerator/lister and census field supervisor will not experience the  same delays because these positions only require fingerprint processing,  which is quicker.

According to Bureau officials, these results can be made available within  3 hours. Moreover, although the Bureau has taken steps to address the  backlog, the bulk of pre-employment background clearances has yet to  be processed and Bureau officials told us that they remain concerned. In  the coming months, the Bureau will need to conduct background checks  for an additional 3,991 recruiting assistants and about 10,300 office staff  for the remaining 209 offices. We will continue to monitor the backlog of  background clearances through our ongoing work.

Although the Bureau has exceeded its recruiting goals for early  operations, recruiting a sufficient number of job applicants for the job of  partnership specialist is a challenge. Bureau officials told us that a robust  economy and low unemployment rate have resulted in a smaller pool of  applicants for that position. For example, as part of its 2020 Census  efforts, the Bureau had planned to hire 1,181 partnership specialists by  May 1, 2019 and 1,501 partnership specialists by June 30, 2019, to help  increase awareness and participation in the 2020 Census in minority  communities and hard-to-reach populations. The Bureau did not meet its  goal to hire 1,181 partnership specialists by May 1, 2019.

To hire sufficient partnership staff, Bureau officials told us they have an  “open and continuous” posting for partnership specialist positions instead  of discrete individual job postings, and they are selecting two candidates  from each certification list of qualified applicants. Moreover, Census  leadership tracks the weekly progress of the partnership specialist  positions.

As of July 9, 2019, the Bureau’s latest biweekly reporting indicated that it  had hired 813 partnership specialists as of June 22, 2019. Moreover, as  of July 10, 2019 Bureau officials told us that another 830 applicants were  waiting to have their background checks completed. According to Bureau  officials hiring data are based on payroll dates generated biweekly, while  background check data are tracked internally. Therefore, according to  Bureau officials, more current hiring data were not available as of July 10,  2019 to indicate whether the Bureau had met its June 30 hiring goal.  Hiring partnership specialists in a timely manner is key to the Bureau’s  ability to carry out its planned outreach efforts, especially for hard-to- count communities.

In addition, several RCC officials said the pay rate and the low  unemployment rate in some ACO locations initially affected their ability to  recruit well-qualified staff for office positions.

Atlanta RCC officials stated it was challenging to recruit managers in  the Gainesville, Florida, area. According to Bureau officials, the pay  rate was too low and potential recruits were seeking employment  elsewhere. The Bureau increased the managers’ pay rate to be more  competitive for the area.

Philadelphia RCC officials stated that in rural ACO locations the pay  rate is lower and potential recruits would rather travel to the metro  areas to get the higher pay rates offered there.

The Denver RCC reported that low unemployment rates throughout  the regions make recruiting difficult, and that Census enumerators  jobs are not as competitive with many other wages offered in the  region.

The Los Angeles RCC reported having difficulty recruiting local  applicants in high-cost areas like Beverly Hills, the San Francisco Bay  Area, and Silicon Valley.

Bureau headquarters officials acknowledge that some ACO locations  have experienced some recruiting challenges, but said that the RCCs  were ultimately able to fill the office positions. Headquarters officials  stated that their pay rates either match or exceed the competitive pay rate  in the majority of the ACO locations. According to Bureau headquarters  officials, regional offices that may be experiencing challenges recruiting  staff must demonstrate or prove that the pay rate for a specific ACO is  causing difficulty recruiting. The Field Division is responsible for  approving or denying the request to adjust pay. For the 2010 Census, the  Bureau reported 124 requests for pay rate adjustments, of which 64 were  approved. The Bureau stated that it will continue to monitor how low  unemployment affects its ability to recruit and hire.

The Bureau reports that the demographic and cultural makeup of the  United States continues to increase in complexity, including a growing  number of households and individuals whose proficiency in English is  limited. Language barriers could make it difficult to enumerate these  households, whose members may have varying levels of comfort with  government involvement. Several RCC officials also mentioned that  language barriers could impact their recruiting efforts:

Both the Los Angeles and New York RCCs reported it is hard to  recruit in immigrant communities where residents speak a foreign  language or dialects, and often have no organizational infrastructure  (such as associations of individuals of the same national origin, print  news media, or radio).

The New York RCC reported challenges in locating applicants who  are bilingual in English and other languages such as Chinese,  Russian, Arabic, Korean, Creole, Polish, Portuguese, Bengali, Urdu,  Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, and Hebrew, as well as Yiddish and African  languages.

The Atlanta RCC reported challenges related to the diverse language  needs (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Creole, Portuguese, etc.)  in south and central Florida.

The Chicago RCC reported recruiting outreach challenges in urban  areas, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul,  St. Louis, and Kansas City, that have higher minority and immigrant  populations as well as in rural areas with increasing diversity.

Bureau officials responded that later this fall, in preparation for their peak  operations effort, they will begin to focus recruiting efforts on foreign  language recruiting. Specifically, partnership and recruiting staff plan to  work with partners and advertise jobs locally (at the grassroots level) in  places where persons with these skills are likely to look to ensure they  are meeting recruiting goals in those areas.

The Bureau Is Following Its Planned Training Approach for 2020, but Has Opportunities to Improve Its Ability to Assess Performance

For the 2020 Census, the Bureau is following its plans to use a blended  training approach combining technology-assisted training with classroom  instruction. According to Bureau planning documents, on the first day of  in-person classroom training, the Bureau will provide orientation  information and issue devices that trainees will use to conduct census  operations. The Bureau plans to use local institutions such as schools,  libraries, churches, and fire halls to host training. ACO staff are to  coordinate the training location setup, device deliveries to training sites,  and manage other logistics for large-scale field staff training.

After the first day of training, field staff will spend the next 4 to 6 days  (depending on the operation) completing at-home training online using  their own personal device at their own pace. This training will include, for  example, operation-specific skills, use of the data collection device (smart  phone or tablet), and general field processes. Trainees who complete the  online portion of the training program will return to the classroom to  practice what they learned through role-playing, mock interviews, or live  cases (for listing operations) facilitated by managers or supervisors.  According to Bureau officials, employees will also have access to just-in- time training materials on their devices for use in the field.

The Bureau Took Steps to Manage Some Challenges in Implementing Its Blended Training Approach During the 2018 End-to-End Test

The Bureau encountered a number of challenges in implementing and  testing its blended training approach, but is taking steps to mitigate those  challenges. Specifically, during the 2018 End-to-End Test, the Bureau (1)  experienced problems with the proper recording of online training scores  for census staff, (2) was unable to test online training for one of its  operations because the operation was added late, and (3) encountered  challenges with census staff not always having access to the internet,  which is required to complete the training.

The Bureau Is Taking Action to Ensure the Completion of Training Is Accurately Tracked

The 2018 End-to-End Test of address canvassing and nonresponse  follow-up training revealed some technical challenges in using the  Learning Management System. The Learning Management System is the  online training system for the 2020 Census; it contains online training  modules and tracks final assessment scores and training certifications.

In February 2019, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) Office of  the Inspector General (OIG) noted that during the address canvassing  operation there was no final assessment scores recorded for 23 trained  listers. The Bureau was also unable to provide documentation that  another three lister trainees who failed the final assessment had been  observed by their supervisor before being permitted to work. Bureau  officials said they provided an action plan to the Commerce OIG in April  2019. According to Bureau officials, the action plan has not been finalized  because they are incorporating changes to the action plan based on  Commerce OIG comments.

In December 2018, we reported that roughly 100 enumerator trainees in  the nonresponse follow-up operation were unable to transmit their final  test scores because the Learning Management System had an erroneous  setting. According to Bureau officials, this problem delayed the start of  unsupervised work for these otherwise-qualified enumerator trainees by  an average of 2 days per trainee, and resulted in the attrition of some who  were able to quickly find other work. Bureau officials reported that they  have fixed the system setting. Moreover, according to Bureau officials,  they have also developed an alternative means to certify training by  incorporating the employee final assessment into the final day of  classroom training.

The Bureau was Unable to Test All Online Training, but Has Plans in Place to Conduct Dry-Runs of the Untested Training

According to Bureau officials, Update Leave online training was not tested  during the 2018 End-to-End Test due to the late addition of the operation  to the 2020 Census design. Officials told us that the Update Leave  operation was approved in May 2017, leaving just 10 months for the  development team to create and implement software and the systems to  support this field operation for the End-to-End Test. This left no time to  develop online training that would be ready for the End-to-End Test in  March 2018.

Therefore, the Bureau classroom-trained headquarters staff instead of  temporary field staff for the operation. According to the Bureau’s risk  register, the utilization of Bureau headquarters staff did not properly  simulate training conditions or staff characteristics in which new  employees have no prior knowledge of census operations. Therefore, the  2018 End-to-End Test did not allow for proper training feedback or the  capture of lessons learned with regard to temporary staff or the mode of  training. According to Bureau officials, the Bureau plans to conduct  scheduled dry runs of training in September 2019 to collect feedback and,  if necessary, make changes to Update Leave-specific training.

The Bureau Has Plan to Address Trainee Access to Online Training

In June 2018, we reported that some listers had difficulty accessing the  internet to take online training for address canvassing. According to the  Bureau, in addition to the Bureau-provided laptop, listers also needed a  personal home computer or laptop and internet access at their home to  complete the training. However, while the Bureau reported that listers had  access to a personal computer to complete the training, we found some  listers did not have access to the internet at their home and had to find  workarounds to access the training. We recommended that the Bureau  finalize plans for alternate training locations in areas where internet  access is a barrier to completing training.

The Bureau took action and in March 2019 finalized its plans for  identifying alternate training locations in areas where internet access is a  barrier to completing training. Specifically, Bureau officials told us that in  areas of known low connectivity rates, regional staff will identify sites that  trainees can access to complete online components of the training. In  addition, the Bureau provided us with a training module for identifying  training field staff locations that emphasized training sites need to be  located in areas with a good cellular connection and also have access to  the internet.

The Bureau Has Generally Met the Criteria for Selected Leading Practices for Training Development, but Could Better Document Measures of Success

Effective training can enhance the Bureau’s ability to attract and retain  employees with the skills and competencies needed to conduct the 2020  Census. Our Guide for Assessing Strategic Training and Development  Efforts in the Federal Government describes components for developing  effective training in the federal government. Our strategic training guide  identifies four phases of the training—planning, design/development,  implementation, and evaluation. We assessed the Bureau’s training  approach and found that it generally aligned with selected leading  practices. This report includes the design/development and evaluation  phases of training. We did not assess the implementation phase because  field staff training had not yet begun during our audit, and we did not  assess the planning phase because practices in that phase are more  applicable to agency-wide rather than program-specific training  development.

The design/development phase involves identifying specific training and  development initiatives that the agency will use, along with other  strategies, to improve individual and agency performance. According to  the guide, well-designed training and development programs are linked to  agency goals and to the organizational, occupational, and individual skills  and competencies needed for the agency to perform effectively.  Moreover, in response to emerging demands and the increasing  availability of new technologies, agencies, including the Bureau for the  2020 Census, are faced with the challenge of choosing the optimal mix  for the specific purpose and situation from a wide range of mechanisms,  including classroom and online learning as well as structured on-the-job  experiences (see fig. 7).

In developing its training approach we found the Bureau met all five  selected leading practices related to design/development. Specifically,

Bureau training aligned with achieving results for the Bureau’s re- engineered field operations. Specifically, the Bureau has a formal  online training program that uses the Learning Management System  as a control mechanism to provide and record training results for all  2020 Census field staff who take online training.

The Bureau’s training program is integrated with other strategies to  improve performance such as building team relationships. For  example, the training includes modules for supervisors that focus on  guiding and motivating employees, communicating effectively, and  resolving conduct issues. To ensure the training is properly integrated  with device issuance, for larger scale operations, the Bureau plans to  stagger training sessions to help ensure there is the necessary  support during the first day of training when census field staff receive  their devices.

The Bureau also plans to use different training delivery mechanisms.

For example, the Bureau will use a blended training approach which  includes a mix of computer-based and instructor-led classroom  training.

The Bureau has measures of effectiveness in its course design. The  Bureau relied on an in-house training development team that worked  with the data collection operations staff to develop learning objectives.  We found that that the Bureau has procedures to incorporate  feedback. Specifically, the Bureau incorporated lessons learned from  previous census tests, such as the refinement of procedures for  reassigning work in the field and emphasizing the importance of  knocking on doors to find a proxy respondent during the nonresponse  follow-up operation.

Finally, the Bureau’s training documents contained goals for achieving  results for its new training approach. Specifically, the Operational  Assessment Study Plan for Recruiting, Onboarding, and Training for  the 2018 End-to-End Test contained the following measures of  success for training—reduce cost and increase efficiency over what  was reported in 2010.

In developing its evaluation phase for training, the Bureau met five of six  selected leading practices and partially met one leading practice. The  evaluation phase involves assessing the extent to which training and  development efforts contribute to improved performance and results. We  have previously found that it is increasingly important for agencies to be  able to evaluate their training and development programs, and  demonstrate how these efforts help develop employees and improve the  agencies’ performance (see fig. 8).

Overall, we found that the Bureau has a robust evaluation plan for the  2020 Census that gathers data from multiple sources. For example,

The Bureau has a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of training for the  2020 Census. Specifically, operational and assessment study plans  set priorities for evaluations and cover the methods, timing, and  responsibilities for data collection, including assessment questions,  metrics, data sources and expected delivery dates, and division  responsibilities.

The Bureau has an analytical approach to assess training programs.

For example, the Field Decennial Data Collection Training Branch has  developed three separate training evaluation surveys which will be  administered to field staff through the Learning Management System.  The three evaluations provide training feedback after the completion  of the online training; after the completion of the classroom training;  and near the completion of the operation. According to the Bureau,  these assessments will help determine the effectiveness of training.

The Bureau incorporated evaluation feedback into planning and  design of training. For example, the Bureau held debrief sessions with  census workers during the 2018 End-to-End Test and told us they  were also incorporating recommendations made by a training vendor.  Feedback from the 2018 End-to-End Test is being used to inform  training for the 2020 Census.

The Bureau incorporates different perspectives in assessing the  impact of training. Bureau officials stated that they incorporated  feedback from a variety of stakeholders when evaluating the  effectiveness of its training during testing, including participant  debriefs and evaluations from vendors. As previously discussed, the  Bureau used three different surveys at different points in time to  evaluate training, and relied on debrief sessions with census  managers and staff in the field.

Bureau officials said they considered the training methods of another  organization. For example, Bureau officials told us they used training  vendors that followed requirements, including e-learning content  developed by the Department of Defense.

However, we found that the Bureau does not have performance goals or  measures for training in its corresponding study plan for the 2020  Census. Specifically, we found that in the Detailed Operational Plan for  the Field Infrastructure and Decennial Logistics Management Operations  for the 2020 Census, the Bureau had planned to include the following  success measures:

Process Measures that indicate how well the process works, typically  including measures related to completion dates, rates, and  productivity rates.

Cost Measures that drive the cost of the operation and comparisons  of actual costs to planned budgets. Costs can include workload as  well as different types of resource costs.

Quality Measures, such as, the results of the operation, typically  including rework rates, and error rates.

However, according to Bureau officials they decided not to include the  measures from the study plan for training because the study plan was  intended to provide descriptive information about operations rather than  evaluate them. We have previously reported that a fundamental element  in an organization’s efforts to manage for results is its ability to set  meaningful goals for performance and to measure progress toward those  goals. Thus, without specific performance goals and measures for its new  blended training approach that considers cost and benefits when  compared to 2010, the Bureau will not be able to determine whether its  blended training approach reduced costs or increased efficiency.

Moreover, not having goals and measures in place could inhibit the  Bureau’s ability to develop meaningful lessons learned from the 2020  Census. Bureau officials agreed and stated they will consider including  goals and measures on cost and efficiency in its plans; however, the  Bureau has not yet provided us with documentation to reflect the goals  and measures it will use to evaluate training, and has no time frame for  doing so. Training for in-field address canvassing operation will begin in  July 2019. Having performance goals and measures will help the Bureau  assess the impact of its new training approach on cost, quality, and  resources expended.

Successfully carrying out the thousands of activities needed to complete  an accurate, cost-effective head count on schedule is an enormous and  challenging task. However, for those activities we examined, the Bureau  appears to be positioned to carry them out as planned, if implemented  properly. While Bureau officials acknowledged there were some early  delays when regions were trying to find office space and acquire leases,  they said that the deadlines for the later phases of construction allow  extra time—giving them a chance to make up lost time.

Regarding recruiting and hiring, the Bureau was exceeding its recruiting  goals for early operations, but identified challenges in areas such as  promptly completing background checks, hiring in a time of low  unemployment, and overcoming language barriers. Moreover, although  the Bureau has exceeded its recruiting goal for early operations,  recruiting a sufficient number of job applicants for partnership specialist is  a challenge. The Bureau’s continued response to and management of  these challenges will be important as it begins recruiting for its peak  operation efforts later this fall.

The Bureau has generally followed its training plans for 2020, but has  opportunities to improve its ability to evaluate training efforts. The Bureau  notes that the blended training approach is intended to maximize trainee  learning and on the job performance during the 2020 Census. However,  2020 Census documents do not contain performance goals or measures  for determining the cost and benefits of the training when compared to  2010. Revising plans to include goals and measures will better position  the Bureau to determine how its blended training approach will impact the  cost, quality, and resources expended on the 2020 Census.

We recommend that the Secretary of Commerce direct the U.S. Census  Bureau to revise plans to include goals and measures for assessing the  cost and benefits of the Bureau’s new blended training approach. These  measures might include, but are not limited to, measures of cost, quality,  and resources associated with training when compared to 2010.  (Recommendation 1)

We provided a draft of this report to the Secretary of Commerce. In its  written comments, reproduced in appendix II, the Department of  Commerce agreed with our findings and recommendation and said it  would develop an action plan to address our recommendation. The  Census Bureau also provided technical comments, which we  incorporated.

We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Commerce, the  Under Secretary of Economic Affairs, the Director of the U.S. Census  Bureau, and interested congressional committees. The report also is  available at no charge on GAO’s website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you have any questions about this report please contact me at (202)  512-2757 or goldenkoffr@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of  Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page  of this report. GAO staff who made major contributions to this report are  listed in appendix III.

Appendix I: Objective, Scope, and Methodology

This report assesses the extent to which the Census Bureau (Bureau) is  following its plans for space acquisition, recruiting and hiring, and training.  For all of our objectives, we reviewed current Bureau planning documents  and schedules, and interviewed Bureau officials including officials at the  Bureau’s six regional offices.

To assess the Bureau’s progress in opening area census offices (ACO),  we obtained and reviewed current Bureau leasing agreement information  and construction (meaning renovations such as new electrical layouts,  heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and deployment information. We  also gathered information on the General Services Administration’s role in  obtaining office space. To determine whether the Bureau is on track, we  compared the current status of opening, construction, and deployment of  ACOs to the Bureau’s plans, schedules, and timelines, and identified  differences for follow-up with Bureau officials. We also reviewed a  randomly selected nongeneralizable sample of ACO files at the  Philadelphia RCC to determine whether justification was included when  changes to ACO locations occurred.

To determine the extent to which the Bureau is following its field hiring  and recruiting strategy for the 2020 Census, we reviewed Bureau  documentation regarding its strategy for recruiting and hiring temporary  field staff for the 2020 Census. We also reviewed output and analysis  from relevant Bureau human resources systems/databases, such as  MOJO Recruit. We interviewed Bureau officials in both headquarters and  the field who are knowledgeable about and responsible for recruiting and  hiring temporary field staff to determine the extent to which the Bureau is  meeting its recruiting and hiring goals, to describe their perspectives on  any challenges facing the 2020 Census, and to understand the Bureau’s  actions to mitigate any challenges. To understand changes from 2010, we  compared the 2010 Census recruiting and hiring plans to those of the  2020 Census to determine differences, and interviewed Bureau officials to  discuss what drove these changes.

Finally, to determine the extent to which the Bureau has followed its plans  for training field staff, and whether this training approach is consistent  with selected leading practices, we examined relevant documents and  interviewed Bureau officials to determine the Bureau’s planned approach  for training, lessons learned from prior Census tests, the extent to which  the Bureau is incorporating lessons learned as a result of its own testing,  and what changes to training need to be made before the start of 2020  field operations. Additionally, we interviewed Bureau officials responsible  for developing training curriculum to understand how training was  developed (e.g. what courses to develop, challenges to using technology,  etc.). We also reviewed federal guidance and our prior reports, and  selected 11 leading practices from GAO’s Guide for Assessing Strategic  Training and Development Efforts in the Federal Government  (GAO-04-546G) as leading practices for training. Our strategic training  guide identifies four phases of the training development process  (planning/analysis, design/development, implementation, and evaluation).  We assessed the approach against leading practices in two of these  phases: design/development and evaluation. We did not assess the  implementation phase because field staff training for the 2020 Census  had not yet begun during our audit, and we did not assess the  planning/analysis phase because practices in that phase are more  applicable to agency-wide rather than program-specific training  development, and focus on full-time permanent employees rather than  temporary employees. Moreover, within the design/development phase  and evaluation phase, we did not assess all best practices because some  of those best practices were also more applicable to agency-wide rather  than program-specific training development, or we had already evaluated  such practices as cost. Moreover, this report primarily focuses on  training for the address canvassing and nonresponse follow-up  operations. We then compared the Bureau’s training approach to those  leading practices and identified practices being followed and any  differences.

We conducted this performance audit from August 2018 to July 2019 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.

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Commerce

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

Other key contributors to this report include Lisa Pearson, Assistant  Director; Timothy Wexler, Analyst-in-Charge; Mark Abraham; Michael  Bechetti; Jessica Blackband; James Cook; Rob Gebhart; Kerstin Hudon;  Kayla Robinson; and Cynthia Saunders.

The Census Bureau is taking a different approach to the 2020 Census to try to hold down costs, while maintaining accuracy. It’s using less office space, hiring fewer field staff, and using new training methods.

The Bureau appears to be on track to carry out its plans, which include leasing 248 local offices. So far it is exceeding its recruiting goals, but faces challenges such as finding partnership specialists to hire in a time of low unemployment. It could also do a better job evaluating its new training approach.

We recommended the Bureau add goals and performance measures to better evaluate training.