The OIG has independently identified the following as areas that we consider to be serious management and performance challenges facing the Corporation. The OIG uses its ongoing risk assessments to identify and monitor high risk areas and guide future OIG work planning.[1]  These areas are also among those commonly identified by the Government Accountability Office and other OIGs in the annual Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Report to the President.

LSC Challenge Areas:

  1. Performance Management and Accountability. LSC recognizes the challenge that it must collect and effectively use reliable performance and accountability data to assess and demonstrate LSC's and its grant recipients' performance and value in order to ensure accountability and funder support. This information is needed to support strategy, policy and operational improvements to achieve the greatest benefit to the public. LSC needs to continue to be innovative in finding ways to garner and leverage scarce financial resources invested in civil legal aid.

     
  2. Grants Management and Procurement. Throughout the federal government, procurement and grants have historically been prone to fraud and waste. Improving management and oversight in these areas remains a challenge at LSC.  LSC needs to continue to improve grants administration and oversight (including sub-grants), to strengthen acquisition management programs, and to ensure compliance with laws and regulations (including congressionally mandated practice restrictions).

     
  3. Governance and Controls Systems. LSC must preserve the requisite independence from its grant recipients and those who represent them to objectively fulfill its statutory responsibilities and maintain strong oversight.  Addressing uneven oversight by grant recipient boards provides LSC an opportunity to help strengthen recipients' governance and accountability that is so important to the integrity of the national program.  Updating and maintaining a sound system of policies and controls to manage the programs and operations of LSC and the grant recipients remains a serious management challenge.
     
  4. Human Capital Management. Managing human capital - hiring, training, and retaining a competent and motivated staff - is a performance challenge that concerns LSC and its grant recipients. Particular challenge areas include developing and implementing new performance management and compensation systems, newly unionized workforce, workforce morale, and succession planning.
     
  5. Information Technology Management and Security. Ensuring that LSC's and its grant recipients' information systems are effective and safe is crucial to program operations. Significant challenges in this area include:  the creation of an LSC-wide grantee information management system, security of LSC's and grantees' confidential data, and disaster recovery. Ensuring the effectiveness of its technology investments, including the Technology Initiative Grants, also requires meeting the challenges of standardization, replication and sustainability of its projects. 

[1] The practice is required at major government agencies by the Reports Consolidation Act of 2000, 31 USC ยง3516(2)(d), and is incorporated here as an OIG best practice.