An Audit Report on Performance Measures at the Structural Pest Control Service
October 2008
Report Number 09-007
Overall Conclusion
The Structural Pest Control Service (Service) at the Department of Agriculture reported unreliable results for six of seven (86 percent) performance measures tested for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2008. A performance measure is considered reliable if it is certified or certified with qualification.
Specifically:
- Factors prevented certification of three key measures-Number of New Licenses Issued to Individuals, Number of Licenses Renewed (Individuals), and Average Licensing Cost per Individual License Issued. These measures could not be certified because weaknesses in the Service's collection and calculation of these performance measures prevented auditors from determining the correct performance measure results.
- Reported results for three key measures-Number of Complaints Resolved, Number of School Inspections Performed, and Average Time for Complaint Resolution (Days)-were inaccurate because the actual performance differed from reported performance by more than 5 percent or auditor testing of documentation identified more than a 5 percent error rate.
- One key measure-Number of Inspections Performed-was certified with qualification because the reported performance was accurate but controls over data collection and reporting are not adequate to ensure continued accuracy.
The Service has strong Automated Budget and Evaluation System of Texas (ABEST) review controls and sufficient segregation of duties in place for the review of performance measure calculations and the data entry of the results into ABEST. Reviews were dated, signed, and documented for all performance measures tested.
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