FY 2006 Performance Budget JustificationAppendix C. Project Performance ReviewARC's project performance measurement program was designed to accomplish two primary objectives. The first is compliance with the GPRA in measuring the outputs and outcomes of ARC projects. The second objective is creation of a process that allowed for both feedback from grantees and analysis of funded projects in an effort to help improve programming. Measuring project performance involves three components:
These three components together support GPRA reporting and compliance, as well as help ARC glean "lessons learned" from previously funded grants. By structuring the program in this manner, ARC has made the GPRA a management tool and a valuable resource in determining program effectiveness. Performance results for each of ARC's goal areas across recent years are presented below. ARC has a limited number of specific annual performance measures that demonstrate progress toward achieving long-term program targets. The following are examples of these measures: Intermediate Term Measure: Jobs created or Retained—2 Year Review. Two years after a project is funded ARC staff makes a field validation visit to 10-15% of the total number of projects funded in order to obtain information on the intermediate results for the selected projects. ARC obtains information from field visits regarding the percentage of the performance target achieved for infrastructure jobs created or retained within 2 Years as a result of ARC investments (sample of completed projects). Recent results are noted below.
Long Term Measure: Jobs Created or Retained—5- Year Review. ARC contracts with outside consultants to evaluate the overall performance of a major investment category every five plus years. The Jobs created or retained investment category was evaluated by The Brandow Company in 2000. Another multi-year evaluation will be conducted in 2005-2006. The results for the 1990-1997 sample set of projects are reported below.
Intermediate Term Measure: Households Served with Water/Sewer -2 Year Review. Two years after a project is funded ARC staff makes a field validation visit to 10-15% of the total number of projects funded in order to obtain information on the intermediate results for the selected projects. ARC obtains information regarding the percentage of the performance target achieved for households served with water/sewer within 2 years as a result of ARC investments plus other funds (sample of completed projects). Recent results are noted below.
Long Term Measure: Households served with Water/Sewer –5 Year Review. Households served with water and sewer within a 5 plus year period (sample of completed projects) as a result of ARC and other investments were evaluated by The Brandow Company in 2000. Another multi-year evaluation will be conducted in 2005-2006. The results for 1990-1997 are reported below.
Intermediate Term Measure: Students and Trainees—2 Year Review. Two years after a project is funded ARC staff makes a field validation visit to 10-15% of the total number of projects funded in order to obtain information on the intermediate results for the selected projects. ARC obtains information from field visits regarding the percentage of the performance target achieved for education projects within 2 Years as a result of ARC investments (sample of completed projects). Recent results for ARC investments that document participating students are shown below. Student improvements are evaluated in the five-plus multi-year study. Participating Students:
Participating Trainees
Long-term Measure: Students and Trainees: 5-Year Review. Over a five plus year period ARC requests an outside consultant to review the overall performance of a major investment category. The vocational education and workforce training activities of the ARC were evaluated by Westat in 2000. Another multi-year evaluation will be conducted in 2006-2008. The results for the 1995-1999 sample set of projects are reported below. The ARC has a target of achieving 70% of its objectives in seven activities categories.
Long Term Measure: Health Care Professionals Placed in the Region—annual results. ARC assists local communities with the placement of physicians and other health care professionals in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs). Recent results of ARC activities are noted below.
Long Term Measure: Miles of Appalachian Development Highway Opened to Traffic---annual results. The current target of opening 25 miles of highway per year was set assuming at least $500 million available for ADHS funding each year. It should be noted that opening a highway involves a 4 to 8 year period of investment in design, right-of-way purchase and construction. For the period 2000-2004 an annual average of 26 miles was opened to traffic.
Long Term Measure: Infrastructure investments: private and other —1990-1997. Private sector Investments and non-ARC investments are determined through an evaluation conducted by an outside contractor for a sample of ARC Infrastructure Projects. The 1990-1997 evaluation was conducted by The Brandow Company and the results are reported below. Another long term measure evaluation will be conducted in FY2005-2006. Business Infrastructure and Job Creation/Retention. The target ARC to private sector investment ratio for business infrastructure projects is 1 to 15.
Residential Infrastructure and Households served. The target ARC to public sector long-term investment ratio is 1 to 3 for residential infrastructure.
Overview---All Infrastructure Project Types. The target ARC to non-ARC long term funding ratio is 1 to 10 for all ARC residential projects in distressed areas. This ratio was established in the FY 2005 Performance Budget Justification.
Annual Measure: Each year ARC targets a 1 to 4 initial investment ratio for ARC funds to initial private sector investments in all ARC Projects.
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