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An Audit Report on Performance Measures at the Department of Transportation

October 2008

Report Number 09-008

Overall Conclusion

The Department of Transportation (Department) reported reliable results for six of eight (75 percent) performance measures for fiscal year 2007 and the first two quarters of fiscal year 2008. A result is considered reliable if it is certified or certified with qualification.

Specifically, for fiscal year 2007 and the first two quarters of fiscal year 2008:

- One key performance measure--Number of Construction Project Preliminary Engineering Plans Completed--was certified with qualification because the Department's supporting documentation lacked sufficient details and there were no documented supervisory reviews.

- Two key performance measures--Dollar Volume of Construction Contracts Awarded in Fiscal Year (in millions) and Number of Projects Awarded--were certified with qualification because these measures were not compiled according to their definitions and there were no documented supervisory reviews.

- One key performance measure--Number of Highway Lane Miles Resurfaced by State Forces--was certified with qualification because the Department's input controls did not ensure that the results entered in the Automated Budget and Evaluation System of Texas (ABEST) matched the numbers on source documents.

- One key performance measure--Administrative and Support Costs as a Percent of Grant Expended--was certified with qualification because there were no documented supervisory reviews.

- One key performance measure--Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA) Administrative and Support Costs as Percentage of Total Expenditures--was inaccurate because there was more than a 5 percent variance between the Department's reported performance in ABEST and the performance measure results that auditors calculated.

- Factors prevented certification of one key performance measure--Number of Lane Miles Contracted for Resurfacing--because the Department did not follow the measure definition.

- One key performance measure--Administration and Support Costs as Percent of Expended Funds--was certified.

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