Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
Adequate reporting of data is not a new problem for the SBA. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote a report which found that because longstanding organizational challenges have affected program oversight, the SBA has not documented an assessment of its overall organizational structure. [http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/672680.pdf (GAO 1)] Such an internal assessment could help the SBA determine where they're going wrong in reporting lending and borrowing data. A second GAO report determined that senior SBA leaders have not prioritized long-term organizational transformation in areas like information technology (IT). [http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/672647.pdf (GAO 2)] Problems with technology make the SBA unlikely to have the means to easily and cohesively report data. Each regional office reports its own lending and borrowing data, and each does so in different formats (PDF, excel, etc.), which makes analyzing SBA data almost impossible. These problems have been identified by GAO and other organizations several times in the past, and yet the agency has made very limited progress in addressing most of their recommendations. [http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/672647.pdf (GAO 2)]
To better assess program progress and enhance use of evidence, the agency requested legislative authority to collect better data from its grantees to be used for internal evaluation purposes. This authority would give the SBA the ability to collect identifiable information on small businesses receiving assistance. [https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/1-FY%202016%20CBJ%20FY%202014%20APR.PDF (FY16 1.3)] Adding program evaluations and similar program assessments to the list of allowable purposes would help the SBA to better understand program effectiveness for small business counseling and training assistance and help use best practices to serve other SBDCs. '''When does the sensitivity of lending data outweigh the potential benefit of the SBA gathering more relevant statistics on their program successes(or lack thereof)?
'''
Another problem occurs when there are data reporting problems in organizations affiliated with the SBA. For example, a GAO report on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs could not determine their compliance with SBA spending requirements because most agencies submitted incorrect data. [http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/669651.pdf (GAO 3)] GAO also found problems in collecting and reporting data within Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC), and recommended that the SBA provide guidance on how to collect and report data on their investments in minority, women, and veteran owned businesses. '''How can the SBA give such recommendations to its subsidiary programs when it fails to adequately report its own data?'''
