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FY 2006 Performance Budget Justification


Appendix C. Project Performance Review

ARC'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:

  • Project data collection and analysis through use of a management information system;
  • Site visits to validate actual outcomes of a sample of projects; and
  • Independent project evaluations.

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.

Year

Target

Actual

2 Yr Intermediate Results-% of Target

1998

747

803

107% Exceeded Goal

1999

4,288

4,421

103% Exceeded Goal

2000

1,097

985

90% of Goal Achieved

2001

2,003

2,015

101% Exceeded Goal

2002

1,336

1,452

109% Exceeded Goal

2003

Results to be validated in FY2005

   

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.

1990-1997

Target

Results

% of Target

Water/sewer projects

15,354

20,031

130% Exceeded Goal

Industrial park projects

5,829

5,716

98% of Goal Achieved

Business Incubators

550

2,358

428% Exceeded Goal

Access Road projects

2,174

3,459

159% Exceeded Goal

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.

Year

Target

Actual

2 Yr Intermediate Results- % of Target

1998

4,887

5,566

107% Exceeded Goal

1999

974

872

90% of Goal Achieved

2000

504

576

114% Exceeded Goal

2001

7,859

8,395

107% Exceeded Goal

2002

1,667

1,649

99% of Goal Achieved

2003

Results to be validated in FY2005

   

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.

1990-1997

Target

Results

% of Target

New Households served

1,928

4,553

236% Exceeded Goal

Existing Households served

12,136

13,148

108% Exceeded Goal

New Businesses served

48

191

398% Exceeded Goal

Retained Businesses served

447

443

99% of Goal Achieved

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:

Year

Target

Actual %

Results Achieved

1998

3,998

5,088

127% Exceeded Goal

1999

4,547

4,498

99% of Goal Achieved

2000

5,097

5,114

100% Exceeded Goal

2001

2,497

2,343

94% of Goal Achieved

2002

7,370

6,627

90% of Goal Achieved

2003

Results to be validated in FY2003

   

Participating Trainees

Year

Target

Actual

% Results Achieved

1998

645

918

142% Exceeded Goal

1999

937

819

87% of Goal Achieved

2000

1,050

836

80% of Goal Achieved

2001

3,566

6,166

173% Exceeded Goal

2002

1,667

1,330

80% of Goal Achieved

2003

Results to be validated in FY2005

   

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.

1995-1999

Percent Achieved

Services provided to individuals

65% Not met

Services provided to Communities

83% Exceeded

Barrier reduction

80% Exceeded

Skill attainment

83% Exceeded

Degree attainment

57% Not met

Impact employment status

86% Exceeded

Impact Community Viability

70% Met

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.

Year

Target

Actual

Results-% of Target

2002

100

96

96% of Goal Achieved

2003

60

79

132% Exceeded Goal

2004

50

43

86% of Goal Achieved

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.

Year

Target

Results

% of Target

2004

25

5

20%

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.

 

1990-1997

ARC Funding

Private Funding Target

Actual Private Investment

 

$14,599,922

$175,199,060

$2,195,350,00
Exceeded Target

Residential Infrastructure and Households served. The target ARC to public sector long-term investment ratio is 1 to 3 for residential infrastructure.

 

1990-1997 ARC Funding Target Public Sector Investment Actual Public Investment
 

$3,861,575

$11,584,725

$10,210,531
88% of Goal Achieved

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.

1990-1997

ARC Funding Target

Private Investment

Actual Private Investment

 

$32,433,047

$324,330,470

$3,088,642,000 Exceeded Target

 

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.

Year

ARC Investment

Target Initial Private Investment

Initial Private Investment

2001

$54,037,027

$216,148,100

$289,355,460 Exceeded Target

2002

$65,527,968

$262,111,870

$114,911,100
44% of Target

2003

$65,956,352

$263,825,400

$331,965,400 Exceeded Target

2004

$66,310,422

$265,241,688

$490,247,346 Exceeded Target