	Background

As you know, the cost of the Decennial Census has steadily increased  during the past 40 years, in part because the nation’s population has  steadily grown larger, more diverse, and increasingly difficult to  enumerate. For example, at about $13 billion, the 2010 Census was the  costliest U.S. census in history and was 56 percent more costly than the  $8.1 billion 2000 Census (in constant 2010 dollars). Concurrent with redesigning the decennial census, the Bureau has also  begun a significant effort to modernize and consolidate its survey data  collection and processing functions. This is being undertaken through an  enterprise-wide IT initiative called Census Enterprise Data Collection and  Processing (CEDCAP). Bureau Faces Critical Challenges in Delivering IT Systems Needed to Support Redesign Areas

Last month’s issuance of the 2020 Census Operational Plan, which  documents many key decisions about the redesign of the 2020 Census,  represents progress; however, the Bureau faces critical challenges in  delivering the IT systems needed to support the redesign areas. Additionally, while the Bureau  has demonstrated improvements in IT management, as we have  previously reported, it faces critical gaps in its IT workforce planning and  information security. Timeframe to Implement the Large and Complex IT Systems Needed for 2020 Census Redesign Is Narrow

The Bureau has not prioritized key IT-related decisions, which is a trend  we have reported for the past few years. Specifically, in April 2014, we  reported the Bureau had not prioritized key IT research and testing  needed for the design decisions planned for the end of 2015. In light of these ongoing challenges, we recommended in our April 2014  report that the Bureau prioritize its IT-related research and testing  projects that need to be completed to support the design decisions and  develop schedules and plans to reflect the new prioritized approach. The  Bureau agreed with our recommendations and has taken steps to  address them. For example, in September 2014, the Bureau released a  plan that identified inputs, such as research questions, design  components, and testing, that were needed to inform the operational  design decisions expected in the fall of 2015. However, as we reported in February 2015, the Bureau had not yet  determined how key IT research questions that had been identified as  critical inputs into the design decisions—estimating the Internet self- response rate and determining the IT infrastructure for security and  scalability needed to support Internet response—were to be answered. We therefore recommended that the Bureau, among other things,  develop methodologies and plans for answering key IT-related research  questions in time to inform key design decisions. For  example, the Bureau does not plan to decide on  the projected demand that the IT infrastructure and systems would  need to accommodate or whether the Bureau will build or buy the  needed systems until June 2016, at the earliest; the high-level design and description of the systems (referred to as  the solutions architecture) until September 2016—leaving about a  year to, among other things, build or acquire, integrate, and test the  systems that are intended to serve as the backbone to the 2020  Census before preparations for end-to-end testing begins in August  2017; and  the strategy for the use of mobile devices for field work until October  2017. We made several  recommendations to address these issues, and the Bureau took actions  to fully implement each of the recommendations. While the  Bureau has made progress in IT workforce planning efforts, many critical  IT competency gaps remain to be filled. We  concluded that the Bureau had a number of weaknesses in controls  intended to limit access to its systems and information, as well as those  related to managing system configurations and unplanned events. However, more  work remains to address the recommendations. However, with less than 2 years remaining until the Bureau plans to have  all systems and processes for the 2020 Census developed and ready for  end-to-end testing, it faces challenges that pose significant risk to 2020  Census program. These include the magnitude of the planned changes to  the design of the census, the Bureau’s prior track record in executing  large-scale IT projects, and the current lack of a permanent Chief  Information Officer, among others. Consequently, it is running out  of time to develop, acquire, and implement the production systems it will  need to deliver the redesign and achieve its projected $5.2 billion in cost  savings.
Why GAO Did This Study

The cost of the nation's decennial census has steadily increased over the past 40 years; the 2010 Census was the most expensive to date, at about $13 billion. To achieve cost savings while still conducting an accurate count of the population, the U.S. Census Bureau is planning significant changes for the design of the 2020 Decennial Census, including major efforts to implement new technologies and IT systems supporting its surveys. For example, the Bureau is planning to offer an option for households to respond via the Internet, which requires developing new applications and IT infrastructure.
This statement summarizes the critical challenges the Bureau faces in successfully delivering IT systems in time for testing redesigned 2020 Census operations. To develop this statement, GAO relied on previously published work, as well as information on steps the Bureau has taken to implement prior GAO recommendations.

What GAO Found

GAO has previously reported that the U.S. Census Bureau (Bureau) faces a number of critical challenges in developing and deploying the information technology (IT) systems and infrastructure it plans to rely on to conduct the significantly redesigned 2020 Census. Specifically, the Bureau has a major IT program under way to modernize and consolidate the multiple, duplicative systems it currently uses to carry out survey data collection and processing functions; however, with less than 2 years before preparations begin for end-to-end testing of all systems and operations to ensure readiness for the 2020 Census, there is limited time to implement it. While the Bureau documented many key decisions about the redesigned 2020 Census in the 2020 Census Operational Plan, released in October 2015, several key IT-related decisions have not been made. Specifically, the Bureau has not yet made decisions about the projected demand that the IT infrastructure would need to meet or whether it will build or buy the needed systems.
This lack of prioritization of IT decisions has been a continuing trend, which GAO has previously identified. For example:
In April 2014, GAO reported that the Bureau had not prioritized key IT research and testing needed for its design decisions. Accordingly, GAO recommended that the Bureau prioritize its IT-related research and testing projects. The Bureau had taken steps to address this recommendation, such as releasing a plan in September 2014 that identified research questions intended to inform the operational design decisions.
In February 2015, however, GAO reported that the Bureau had not determined how key IT research questions that were identified in the September 2014 plan would be answered—such as the expected rate of respondents using its Internet response option or the IT infrastructure that would be needed to support this option. GAO recommended that the Bureau, among other things, develop methodologies and plans for answering key IT-related research questions in time to inform design decisions. However, this has not yet happened.
In addition, while the Bureau has made improvements in some key IT management areas, it still faces challenges in the areas of workforce planning and information security. Specifically:
It has taken steps to develop an enterprise-wide IT workforce planning process, as GAO recommended in 2012. However, the Bureau has yet to fill key positions. Most concerning, it is currently without a permanent chief information officer.
The Bureau has taken steps to implement the majority of the 115 recommendations GAO made in 2013 to address information security weaknesses; however, completing this effort is necessary to ensure that sensitive information it will collect during the census is adequately protected.
With the deferral of key IT-related decisions, the Bureau is running out of time to develop, acquire, and implement the systems it will need to deliver the redesign and achieve its projected $5.2 billion in cost savings.

What GAO Recommends

In its prior work, GAO made recommendations to the Census Bureau to prioritize IT testing and research and determine how key decisions for the 2020 Census were to be answered. GAO also made recommendations to improve IT management, workforce planning, and information security. The Bureau has taken steps to address selected recommendations, but more actions are still needed to fully address these recommendations.