IMPROVING FEDERAL REPORTING AND REDUCING RELATED PAPERWORK -- OMB CIRCULAR A-44 REVISED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 29, 2012
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: October 16, 1970
• Content Type: MF

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
SECRET
MEMORANDUM FOR: Office of Planning, Programming
and Budgeting
ATTENTION: Mr. Charles Briggs
SUBJECT: Improving Federal Reporting and
Reducing Related Paperwork --
OMB Circular A-44 Revised
1. This memorandum with Form 142 attachments represents
a consolidated inventory of Plans Directorate periodic and
recurring reporting as required under OMB Circular A-44.
2. The speed with which the inventory was conducted, the
imprecision of reports titles, and the participation of the
fifteen components and subordinate units of the Directorate
have caused the employment of considerable arbitrariness in
sorting out inconsistencies and assigning cost factors. Inter-
polations based on submitted data were made in instances where
a component should have but did not include a specific report
in its listing. In other cases, reports of similar format
serving identical purposes but labeled differently have been
combined as a single entry. By and large computations are
based on a weighted average grade cost and include only the
costs of preparing and issuing the report. Costs of report
formulations and echelon use of same were excluded under the
Directorate formula. This probably has led to conservative
cost factoring.
3. In addition to reporting exclusions contained in the
several directives, the DDP issued supplementary guidelines
excepting all reports required by other CIA directorates and
ad hoc items. Included in this submission are administrative
management and operational reporting required external of the
Agency, reporting required by the Executive Offices and Offi-
cers of CIA, reporting levied by DDP components upon other
directorates, and administrative, management and operational
reporting required within Plans itself.
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
SECRET
entry under Equipment Evaluation Reports representing con-
tractural production outside the Agency.
contained herein totals
4. A consolidated costing of the 144 reported items
5. Major changes in Project Actions, Project Reviews
and the Operating Program intended to implement country based
programming and to integrate the present fragmented system
impact heavily on projected reporting goals to be attained by
October 1971. The Directorate believes these changes will in 25X1
Substantial savings of perhaps are estimated to 25X1
accrue from newly announced DDP changes in Project Actions and
Project Review procedures. There is no experience upon which
to base this theoretical goal, therefore, while it is cited
in absolute monetary terms it is indeed tentative. Certainly
substantive savings in man-hours are assured. Chief, FE has
taken a hard look at specialized reporting generated in response
to requirements within his component with the result that he
expects through changes in procedures, modification of reports,
changes in reporting frequency and discontinuance of others
that his Division will realize man-hour savings valued at
cular item cost will recede below the current level of
the initial cle increase Operating Program Reporting costs
by Thereat, expectations are that this parti-
(These same reports now cost factor at F_
J per 25X1
year.
6. For the
A-44
exer
cise the
combined
Directorate
net
projected savings
is
or
25X1
about 10 percent
of cited
current
costs. To
emphasize
again,
it is the newly launched management procedures within the
Directorate that account for the lion's share of our optimism
and of course will not recur at such a level in future years.
7. None of the anticipated savings can be directly attri-
butable to OMB's initiative. It is a happenstance that the
Circular A-44 action coincided with major management changes
and reporting reviews set off by threats of hijackings. Also,
the Directorate has periodically reviewed its generation of
paper and the particular burden placed upon field installations
in an effort to require only that which is necessary. Experi-
ence in this regard tells us there is scant slack in this area.
S: J
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5
SECRET
8. Finally, components identified 14 reports (contained
in the inventory) which the preparing unit finds of doubtful
utility or questions the frequency level. These will be
reviewed during the coming year to determine what if any modi-
fication can be effected. Five of these are in response to
requirements of other Government Offices. For this reason
changes in these areas are considered unlikely --
Attachments: a/s
S RE1
25X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/29: CIA-RDP75-00399R000100040080-5