The Park Service’s Estimate and the Composition of the Maintenance Backlog

In 1997, in support of its fiscal year 1998 budget request, the Park Service estimated that its maintenance backlog was about $6.1 billion.Maintenance is generally considered to be work done to keep assets—property, plant, and equipment—in acceptable condition. Of the estimated $6.1 billion maintenance backlog, most of it—about $5.6 billion, or about 92 percent—are construction projects. The Park Service’s list of projects in the construction portion of the maintenance backlog reveals that over 21 percent, or $1.2 billion, of the $5.6 billion is for new facilities. We visited four parks to review the projects listed in the Park Service’s maintenance backlog estimates for those parks and found that the estimates included new construction projects as part of the backlog estimate. As a result, including these types of projects in the maintenance backlog contributes to confusion about the actual maintenance needs of the national park system. Is It Reliable? The Park Service compiles its maintenance backlog estimates on an ad hoc basis in response to requests from the Congress or others; it does not have a routine, systematic process for determining its maintenance backlog. The January estimate of the maintenance backlog—its most recent estimate—was based largely on information that was compiled over 4 years ago. This fact, as well as the absence of a common definition of what should be included in the maintenance backlog, contributed to an inaccurate and out-of-date estimate. Managing the Backlog

In order to begin addressing its maintenance backlog, the Park Service needs (1) accurate estimates of its total maintenance backlog and (2) a means for tracking progress so that it can determine the extent to which its needs are being met. Park Service officials told us that they have not developed a precise estimate of the total maintenance backlog because the needs far exceed the funding resources available to address them. The recent actions by the Congress to provide the Park Service with substantial additional funding, which could be used to address its maintenance backlog, further underscores the need to ensure that available funds are being used to address those needs and to show progress in improving the conditions of the national park system. This condition information is essential to providing the Park Service with better data on its overall maintenance needs. If properly implemented, this requirement should make the Park Service as a whole, as well as individual park managers, more accountable for how it spends maintenance funds to improve the condition of park facilities.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed: (1) the Park Service's estimate of the maintenance backlog and its composition; (2) how the agency determined the maintenance backlog estimate and whether it is reliable; and (3) how the agency manages the backlog.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) the Park Service's estimate of its maintenance backlog does not accurately reflect the scope of the maintenance needs of the park system; (2) the Park Service estimated, as of January 1997, that its maintenance backlog was about $6.1 billion; (3) most of this amount--about $5.6 billion, or about 92 percent--was construction projects; (4) of this amount, over 21 percent or $1.2 billion was for the construction of new facilities; (5) while GAO does not question the need for these facilities, including these kinds of new construction projects or projects that expand or upgrade park facilities in an estimate of the maintenance backlog is not appropriate because it goes beyond what could reasonably be viewed as maintenance; (6) as a result, including these projects in the maintenance backlog contributes to confusion about the actual maintenance needs of the national park system; (7) the Park Service's estimate of its maintenance backlog is not reliable; (8) its maintenance backlog estimates are compiled on an ad hoc basis in response to requests from Congress or others; (9) the agency does not have a routine, systematic process for determining its maintenance backlog; (10) the most recent estimate, as of January 1997, was based largely on information that was compiled by the Park Service over 4 years ago and has not been updated to reflect changing conditions in individual park units; (11) this fact, as well as the absence of a common definition of what should be included in the maintenance backlog, contributes to an inaccurate and out-of-date estimate; (12) the Park Service does not use the estimated backlog in managing park maintenance operations; (13) as such, it has not specifically identified its total maintenance backlog; (14) since the backlog far exceeds the funding resources being made available to address it, the Park Service has focused its efforts on identifying the highest-priority maintenance needs; (15) however, given that substantial additional funding resources can be used to address maintenance--over $100 million starting in fiscal year (FY) 1998--the Park Service should more accurately determine its total maintenance needs and track progress in meeting them so that it can determine the extent to which they are being met; (16) the Park Service is beginning to implement the legislatively mandated management changes in FY 1998; and (17) these changes could, if properly implemented, help the Park Service develop more accurate data on its maintenance backlog and track progress in addressing it.