Department of Commerce Office of Secretary Financial Management Working Capital Fund Assessment

ABOUT THE BACKGROUND NATIONAL ACADEMY The Department of Commerce (DOC) has the mission of creating the conditions for

The National Academy of economic growth and opportunity. DOC promotes job creation and economic growth by ensuring fair and secure trade, providing the data necessary to support Public Administration is a non-profit, independent commerce, and fostering innovation by setting standards and conducting organization of top public foundational research and development. Through its 12 bureaus and nearly 47,000 management and employees located in all 50 states and more than 86 countries, the Department of organizational leaders who Commerce works to provide U.S.-based companies and entrepreneurs invaluable tackle the nation’s most tools through programs such as the Decennial Census, the National Weather critical and complex public Service, NOAA fisheries, and the Foreign Commercial Service. Among many other management challenges. functions, the Department oversees ocean and coastal navigation, helps negotiate With a network of more bilateral free and fair trade, and enforces laws that ensure a level playing field for than 850 distinguished American businesses. Fellows and an experienced professional PROJECT DESCRIPTION staff, the National Academy is uniquely The DOC Working Capital Fund (WCF) was established on June 28, 1944 to qualified and trusted across provide centralized services to DOC bureaus in the most efficient and economical government to provide manner possible. The WCF operates as a revolving fund and does not receive a objective advice and yearly appropriation from Congress. It also was established without a fiscal year practical solutions based limitation. Goods and services are financed by charging operating expenses back to on systematic research and the customers. The overall financial goal is to remain at a break-even position. expert analysis. Organizational units provide the administrative support needed to accomplish Established in 1967 and DOC’s overall mission. chartered by Congress in 1984, the National The Academy and Grant Thornton team will conduct analysis and provide Academy continues to recommendations that provide the benefits and risks associated with the DOC make a positive impact by helping federal, state and WCF. The 90-day study will produce an as-is assessment, gap analysis, and local governments respond recommendations report that will provide DOC’s Office of Secretary Financial effectively to current Management with an evaluation of WCF operations, identifying opportunities for circumstances and improvement, and providing a comparison to similar WCFs. The Team will receive changing conditions. guidance from an Expert Advisory Group made up of three Academy Fellows. Learn more about the National Academy and its work at www.NAPAwash.org

1600 K Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 ● Phone: 202-347-3190 ● Fax: 202-223-0823 ● www.napawash.org EXPERT ADVISORY GROUP

Sallyanne Harper,* President, Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management; Former Vice President, Executive Office of Federal Management Practice, AOC Solutions; Chief Mission Support Officer and Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Government Accountability Office. Former positions with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Chief Financial Officer/Acting Assistant Administrator for Administration and Resources Management; Deputy Assistant Administrator for Management and Administration and Deputy Chief Financial Officer; Finance Director; Associate Director, Superfund Procurement Operations. Former Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer in major weapons systems acquisition with Naval Air Systems Command and Naval Regional Contracting Office.

T. Michael Kerr,* Former Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, U.S. Department of Labor; Former Executive Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union; Executive Director, Labor Relations Board, State of Maryland. Former positions with U.S. Department of Labor: Administrator, Wage and Hour Administration; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Employment Standards Administration; Deputy Assistant Secretary, Workers Compensation Programs; Director, Executive Secretariat. Former Assistant Director, Department of Legislation, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; Director, Office of Congressional Liaison, Office of Legislation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nancy Potok,* Chief Statistician of the United States, Former Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, Former Associate Director, Demographic Programs, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce; Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S Department of Commerce; Chief Operating Officer, McManis & Monsalve Associates. Former Senior Vice President and Director, Economics, Labor and Population Department, National Opinion Research Center (NORC); Former positions with the U.S. Census Bureau: Principal Associate Director and Chief Financial Officer, Associate Director for Administration/Controller. Former Deputy Assistant Director for Finance and Budget, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; Budget Examiner, U.S. Office of Management and Budget; Presidential Management Intern, U.S. Department of Transportation; Staff Intern, Senate Transportation Appropriation Subcommittee, U.S. Senate.

*NAPA Fellow

NAPA PROJECT STAFF Joseph Mitchell, Ph.D., Director of Project Development Brenna Isman, Project Director Adam Darr, Senior Research Associate Adam Darr, Senior Research

GRANT THORNTON PROJECT STAFF Shiva Verma, Principal Aurpon Bhattacharya, Senior Manager Dave Sherrill, Audit Manager Brian Zolot, Audit Associate