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entitled 'Strategic Plan: Serving the Congress and the Nation: 2013-
2017' which was released on August 9, 2012. 

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Office of the Inspector General: 
U.S. Government Accountability Office: 

Strategic Plan: 
Serving the Congress and the Nation: 
2013-2017: 

August 2012: 

OIG-12-1SP: 

Abbreviations: 

CCR: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: 

CG: Comptroller General: 

GAO: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 

IG: GAO Inspector General: 

OIG: Office of the Inspector General: 

[End of section] 

Message from the Inspector General: 

August 2012: 

I am pleased to present the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) 
Strategic Plan covering fiscal years 2013-2017. This strategic plan 
has been updated to reflect the statutory authorities created in the 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) Act of 2008[Footnote 1] and the 
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012.[Footnote 
2] In November 2011, Congress designated the GAO Inspector General 
(IG) to also serve as the IG for the Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) 
and directed that personnel of GAO’s OIG be utilized to perform the 
duties of the IG for the CCR.[Footnote 3] The strategic plan discusses 
the vision, mission, goals, and performance measures that will guide 
our work for the next 5 years. 

Strategic planning is the starting point and foundation for defining 
what an office seeks to accomplish, identifying the strategies it will 
use to achieve desired results and then determining how well it 
succeeds in reaching results-oriented goals and achieving objectives. 
Developing a strategic plan can help clarify organizational priorities 
and unify the agency’s staff in the pursuit of shared goals. 

As we implement this Strategic Plan, our objective is to continue to 
play a critical role in protecting and preserving agency assets and 
resources. We will focus on mitigating those management challenges 
facing GAO and CCR through continued collaboration and cooperation 
with the Comptroller General (CG), the CCR Commissioners, and their 
senior management. Performance measures outlined in this Strategic 
Plan will enable us to measure our success both in assisting GAO and 
CCR to achieve their goals and in measuring our internal improvement 
efforts. 

Finally, execution of this plan is not possible without the efforts of 
each member of my staff. They consistently demonstrate a commitment to 
public service and, specifically, to protecting taxpayer interests. 
Together with our stakeholders, we will continue our efforts to 
facilitate positive change within GAO and CCR. 

Signed by: 

Frances Garcia: 
Inspector General: 

[End of section] 

Serving the Congress and the Nation: 

OIG’s Strategic Plan Framework: 

Mission: 

OIG’s mission is to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness 
within GAO and CCR programs and operations, and to keep the agency 
heads and Congress fully informed concerning fraud and other serious 
problems, abuses, and deficiencies relating to the administration of 
GAO and CCR programs and operations. 

Goal: Maximize the Value of the OIG by Providing Quality, Timely 
Service through: 
Objectives: 
* Quality products and services; 
* Prevention and detection of fraud, waste, or abuse. 

Goal: Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of OIG Operations 
through: 
Objectives: 
* Effective and efficient quality control framework. 

Core Values: 
* Integrity; 
* Teamwork; 
* Confidentiality; 
* Continuous Improvement. 

Source: OIG. 

[End of section] 

U.S. Government Accountability Office: 
U.S. Commission On Civil Rights: 
Office Of The Inspector General: 

Strategic Plan: 

2013-2017: 

Table of Contents: 

Abbreviations: 

Message from the Inspector General: 

OIG’s Strategic Plan Framework: 

OIG at a Glance: 

Overview of GAO and CCR: 

Strategic Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures: 

Goal 1: Maximize the Value of the OIG by Providing Quality, Timely 
Service: 

Strategic Objective 1.1: Deliver Quality Products and Services That 
Identify Ways to Improve GAO and CCR Programs and Operations: 

Strategic Objective 1.2: Prevent and Detect Fraud, Waste, or Abuse in 
GAO and CCR Programs and Operations: 

Goal 2: Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of OIG Operations: 

Strategic Objective 2.1: Maintain an Efficient and Effective Quality 
Control Framework to Improve Internal Operations and Implementation of 
Professional Standards: 

[End of section] 

OIG At A Glance: 

Vision: 

To be a highly effective organization that promotes positive change by 
identifying opportunities for improvements in the performance and 
efficiency of GAO’s and CCR’s programs and operations. 

Mission: 

The mission of OIG is to: 

* conduct audits, investigations, and other reviews relating to GAO 
and CCR; 

* promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in GAO and CCR; and; 

* keep the Comptroller General, the CCR Commissioners, and Congress 
informed concerning fraud and other serious problems relating to the 
administration of programs and operations of GAO and CCR. 

In carrying out the OIG’s mission, the Inspector General (IG) may: 

* have access to all records, reports, audits, reviews, documents, 
papers, recommendations, or other material that relate to programs and 
operations of GAO and CCR; 

* make such investigations and reports relating to the administration 
of the programs and operations of GAO and CCR as are, in the judgment 
of the Inspector General, necessary and desirable; and; 

* request from any federal agency such documents and information as 
may be necessary for carrying out the duties and responsibilities of 
the OIG. 

Core Values: 

Consistent with its mission and responsibilities, the OIG’s efforts 
are guided by four core values. The OIG’s core values of integrity, 
teamwork, confidentiality, and continuous improvement reflect what it 
believes to be the most important qualities needed for success and are 
reflected in all of the work done by the OIG. 

Integrity. The OIG sets high standards for the approach to its work, 
and ensures that the results of its work are objective, fact-based, 
accurate, relevant, and are of the highest-quality. 

Teamwork. The OIG highly values constructive working relationships 
with its agency stakeholders and Congress to fulfill its roles and 
responsibilities. Internally, OIG promotes consistent, fair, and 
effective communications and interactions at all levels to carry out 
its work. 

Confidentiality. The OIG takes care to ensure that complaints and 
information can be reported anonymously and without fear of 
retaliation. The OIG strives to ensure that the confidentiality 
of individuals providing information is appropriately maintained in 
accordance with current laws and guidelines. 

Continuous Improvement. The OIG strives to continually improve the 
quality and usefulness of OIG processes and products. 

OIG’s Organization: 

The OIG is headed by an Inspector General, who is appointed by, 
reports to, and is under the general supervision of the Comptroller 
General. GAO has had an IG since 1996, but the statutory authority, 
duties, and responsibilities of the Inspector General and the OIG were 
established in the Government Accountability Office Act of 2008. 

The OIG is located in Washington, D.C. As of August 2012, the OIG 
comprises nine staff. In addition to the IG, OIG consists of the 
Deputy Inspector General, Counsel to the IG, the Assistant Inspector 
General for Investigations, four senior auditors, and an executive 
assistant. 

[End of section] 

Overview of GAO and CCR: 

U.S. Government Accountability Office: 

The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 required the President to issue 
an annual federal budget and established GAO as an independent agency 
to investigate how federal dollars are spent. In the early years, GAO 
mainly audited vouchers, but after World War II, GAO started to perform 
more comprehensive financial audits that examined the economy and 
efficiency of government operations. By the 1960s, GAO began to 
perform the type of work the agency is noted for today-—program 
evaluation—-which examines whether government programs are meeting 
their objectives. 

GAO is an independent, nonpartisan professional services agency in the 
legislative branch of the federal government. Commonly known as the 
audit and investigative arm of Congress or the “congressional watchdog,”
GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and advise lawmakers and 
agency heads on ways to make government work better. As a legislative 
branch agency, the agency is exempt from many laws that apply to the 
executive branch agencies. However, the agency generally holds itself 
to the spirit of many of the laws, including the Federal Managers 
Financial Integrity Act of 1982, the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993, and the Federal Financial Management Improvement 
Act of 1996. 

GAO’s mission is to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional 
responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the 
accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the 
American people. GAO accomplishes its mission by providing objective 
and reliable information and informed analysis to the Congress, to 
federal agencies, and to the public, and it recommends improvements, 
when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues. Three core values-—
accountability, integrity, and reliability-—form the basis for all of 
GAO’s work, regardless of its origin. 

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: 

The United States Commission on Civil Rights (Commission), created 
pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, [Footnote 4] is responsible 
for (1) investigating allegations of discrimination because of color, 
race, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin or 
deprivation of voting rights, and (2) collecting and studying 
information; monitoring the enforcement of federal laws and policies; 
serving as a national clearinghouse for information; and preparing 
public service announcements and advertising campaigns on issues 
pertaining to discrimination, denials of equal protection of the laws, 
or the administration of justice. The Commission may hold hearings 
and, within specific guidelines, issue subpoenas to obtain certain 
records and have witnesses appear at hearings. It also maintains state 
advisory committees and consults with representatives of federal, 
state, and local governments and private organizations to advance its 
fact-finding work. 

The Commission is required to issue reports on the findings of its 
investigations to Congress and the President and to recommend 
legislative remedies. The Commission also must submit annually to 
Congress and the President at least one report that monitors federal 
civil rights enforcement in the United States. In addition, because it 
lacks enforcement powers that would enable it to apply remedies in 
individual cases, the Commission refers specific complaints it 
receives to the appropriate federal, state, or local government agency 
for action. 

[End of section] 

Strategic Goals, Objectives, Strategies, and Measures: 

The OIG has established two fundamental goals that are aligned with 
GAO’s strategic goal 4, Maximize the Value of GAO by Enabling Quality, 
Timely Service to the Congress, and Being a Leading Practices Federal 
Agency.[Footnote 5] The OIG’s goals define its strategic direction and 
each is further defined by strategic objectives the OIG plans to 
accomplish and strategies to be used to achieve them. To help the OIG 
determine how well it is meeting the needs of GAO, CCR, and Congress, 
the OIG will assess its performance based on the outcomes or results 
achieved from its work. 

[End of section] 

Goal 1: Maximize the Value of the OIG by Providing Quality, Timely 
Service: 

Strategic Objective 1.1: 

Deliver Quality Products and Services That Identify Ways to Improve GAO 
and CCR Programs and Operations: 

Strategies: 

* Monitor current and emerging agency programs, operations, risks, and 
management challenges that pose the most significant threats to GAO 
and CCR programs and operations to inform updates to strategic, 
workforce, and budgeting plans. 

* Re-evaluate and, if necessary, update the OIG’s audit risk 
assessment of GAO and CCR programs and operations, and annual work 
plan to focus on GAO’s and CCR’s most significant risk and challenges. 

* Produce useful and timely audit, evaluation, inspection, and 
investigative products that identify ways to improve agency programs 
and operations. 

* Follow up on all recommendations and administrative investigation 
referrals made to GAO and CCR to help ensure the agencies have taken 
appropriate corrective actions. 

Outcomes and Performance Measures: 

* The extent to which OIG work enhances accountability through better 
internal controls, increased efficiency and effectiveness of agency 
operations, and strengthens program integrity and use of funds more 
effectively and efficiently. 

* Number of new products containing recommendations that, when 
implemented, produce financial and nonfinancial benefits. 

* Number of corrective actions implemented to address OIG findings and 
recommendations. 

* Customer satisfaction with OIG work as evidenced by feedback on 
credibility of findings, practicality of recommendations, treatment of 
agency comments, and overall perceived usefulness and timeliness of 
products. 

Strategic Objective 1.2: 

Prevent and Detect Fraud, Waste, or Abuse in GAO and CCR Programs and 
Operations: 

Strategies: 

* Conduct integrity awareness briefings to raise the awareness of the 
OIG Hotline and its purpose to GAO’s and CCR’s employees and 
contractors, thereby increasing the number of relevant and actionable 
complaints the Hotline receives. 

* Continue to foster effective and efficient communications channels 
to receive and discuss complaints and allegations of fraud, waste, or 
abuse. 

* Investigate complaints or information concerning the possible 
existence of activities constituting a violation of any law, rule, 
regulation, or mismanagement or gross waste of funds to protect the 
integrity of GAO and CCR programs and operations. 

* Establish the staffing infrastructure needed to facilitate 
investigative work. 

Outcomes and Performance Measures: 

* Continue to operate the OIG Hotline program, including the related 
websites in a manner that ensures credible allegations warranting 
further action are processed in a timely manner. 

* Forward complaints identified for referral to other units within 
GAO, CCR, and others, including federal OIG and law enforcement 
offices, in a timely manner. 

* Recovery of GAO and CCR resources through criminal, civil, or 
administrative actions. 

Goal 2: Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of OIG Operations 

Strategic Objective 2.1: 

Maintain an Efficient and Effective Quality Control Framework to 
Improve Internal Operations and Implementation of Professional 
Standards: 

Implementation Strategies: 

* Periodically review and update OIG policies and procedures for 
audits and investigations to ensure the OIG maintains a robust quality 
control framework that aligns with professional standards. 

* Conduct annual inspections to identify areas within the OIG’s 
quality control framework that need to be strengthened, and implement 
internal inspection and review suggestions to improve the OIG’s 
efficiency and effectiveness. 

* Enhance the OIG’s engagement-management process and operations 
through continuous improvement and innovation in products and services 
to achieve the most effective and efficient use of resources. 

Outcomes and Performance Measures 

* Results of annual inspections and reviews that show that the OIG’s 
system of quality control for audit, inspection, and investigations is 
suitably designed and complied with to provide the OIG with reasonable 
assurance of performing and reporting in conformity with applicable 
professional standards in all material respects. 

* Increases in operational efficiency and effectiveness as a result of 
enhancements to engagement-management process and operations, and 
technology. 

* Implementation of action plans that address results of annual 
inspections. 

[End of section] 

Footnotes: 

1. Pub. L. No. 110-323, 122 Stat.3539 (Sept. 22, 2008). 

2. Pub. L. No. 112-55, 125 Stat. 552, 628 (Nov. 18, 2011). 

3. This designation is subject to reauthorization by Congress each 
fiscal year. 

4. Pub. L. No. 85-315, § 101, 71 Stat. 634 (1957). 

5. GAO, GAO Strategic Plan 2010-2015, [hyperlink, 
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-559SP] (Washington, D.C.: July 
2010). 

[End of Strategic Plan]