Fiscal Year 2023 Mid-Year Review, Third Quarter Review, and End-of-Year Performance Certification

IM 2023-035
Instruction Memorandum
In Reply Refer To:

1680 (850) P

Expires:09/30/2026
To:Assistant Directors, State Directors, and Center Directors
From:Assistant Director, Business Management and Administration
Subject:Fiscal Year 2023 Mid-Year Review, Third Quarter Review, and End-of-Year Performance Certification
Program Area:All program areas.
Purpose:

This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits guidance for conducting the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) FY 2023 Mid-Year Review (MYR) and Third Quarter Review (TQR) to assess the financial health of all BLM offices. It also includes the End-of-Year Performance Certification requirements to validate and verify performance element data.

Administrative or Mission Related:

Administrative.

Policy/Action:

BLM States/Centers/Directorates must submit data on sub-activity spending, program element (PE) usage, special emphasis programs, and Bureau-wide expenditures for FY23. The BLM Headquarters (HQ) staff uses this information to assess the Bureau’s financial status at the end of March for mid-year and the end of June for the third quarter.

  1. MYR and TQR Review

The MYR and TQR analysis of States/Centers/Headquarters (HQ) Directorates will be conducted primarily by the HQ Division of Budget (HQ780) and national leads with HQ Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) review. The budget and performance data contained in the Financial and Business Management System (FBMS) and the Performance Management Data System (PMDS) as of March 31, 2023 (MYR), and June 30, 2023 (TQR) will be the primary sources of information used to evaluate BLM spending and performance. The HQ staff will focus on functional area spending, program element (PE) usage, special emphasis programs, and Bureau- total expenditures.

State/Center Actions:

  1. Identify any sub-activity where carryover is expected to exceed 2 percent or any sub-activity projected to be overspent. (Use Attachment 1, Above 2 Percent or Overspent). Please report the fund status by source year.
  2. Report obligation rates for the Management of Lands and Resources (MLR) and Fire (LF100 and LF310) sub-activities. For MYR, if any functional area is greater than 60 percent obligated or less than 40 percent obligated, please provide a short statement identifying the reason and the expected resolution date. For TQR, if any functional area is greater than 85 percent obligated or less than 65 percent obligated, please provide a short statement identifying the reason and the expected resolution date. (Use Attachment 2, Budget Obligation Rates).
  3. State/Centers may seek to exchange funds between States and Offices. (Use Attachment 3, Funds Exchange Request). Contact the HQ Budget Officer directly for any reprogramming requests.
  4. Workload Measure/PE Review: Workload targets were negotiated as part of the FY 2023 Planning Target Allocation (PTA) process, and those negotiated targets were locked for the year in PMDS. Any additional changes or modifications to targets to reflect shifts in funding or priority should have an explanation of those changes and adjustments entered into PMDS using the Mid-Year Projected Accomplishment Update by Cost Center or by Functional Areas. Data entered into PMDS by 31 March 2023 and by 30 June 2023 must be accurate and verifiable and will be used to report the status to date for the MYR and TQR. Identify any PE/functional area combination that will not meet 90 percent of the original target or exceed 110 percent of the initial target. (Use Attachment 4, PE Workload Accomplishments).
  5. Special Emphasis Items: The following program of interest requires State/Center feedback (Mid-Year Review only).

Wild Horse and Burro: Please provide the following information: a) the number of gathers accomplished and planned for the rest of the year, b) the number of sales and adoptions accomplished and planned for the rest of the year, and c) obligations YTD for gathers. (Use Attachment 5, Wild Horse and Burro Accomplishments).

HQ Directorate Actions:

Performance Measure Targets: Performance measure targets established using PE information from the PTA process will be used during the MYR and TQR to determine, to the extent possible, whether performance will fall short of the targets or will exceed targets. The HQ program leads responsible for each performance measure should identify the targets that will be exceeded or not met and report to the HQ780 Budget Office. Identify any priority bureau-wide PE/functional area combination that will not meet 90 percent of the original target or exceed 110 percent of the initial target using Attachment 6, Performance Measure Evaluation.

Adjustments may need to be made during the MYR and TQR process to help the BLM meet the established targets. This is especially critical when anticipated bureau-wide end-of-year accomplishments will affect the ability to meet national performance measure targets. If this review reveals significant performance issues, the HQ780 analysts will work with the national program leads and the States/Centers to address them.

  1. End-of-Year Performance Certification

The performance measure data and workload accomplishment data are used to report performance for the BLM in the Annual Performance Plan and Report, the Budget Justifications, and other budget documents. In addition, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requires all agencies to describe how performance data will be validated and verified in annual performance plans. In FY 2023, the State/Center Offices have access to PMDS until the close of business on September 30th so that all performance accomplishments can be reported as actual numbers instead of estimates.

Performance Due Dates - FY 2023 / FY 2024

17 October 2023 2023 actuals due in PMDS
17 October 2023 2023 State/Center Certifications due to HQ780
28 October 2023 2023 targets due in PMDS submitted by State Budget Officers
31 October – 11
November 2023
PMDS Target Negotiation between HQ and State program leads
State Program Leads provide negotiated results to SBOs
SBOs enter negotiated adjustments into PMDS
HQ program leads inform HQ780 of any negotiated difference
11 December 2023 PE targets locked in FY 2023

State/Center/HQ Directorate Actions:

Each Assistant Director (AD), State Director (SD), and Center Director (CD) will ensure that performance data entered into the PMDS is timely and accurate and that it can be easily validated and verified. Validation refers to assessing the degree to which the data collected is a true reflection of the performance. Please ensure it is measured and relates to the organization's mission. Verification is the process of assessing the accuracy, completeness, availability, and Internal control practices serve to determine the overall reliability of the data collected. Any required data from Program Leads at HQ before reporting on performance measure data should be completed promptly to prevent delays in the EOY process. To accomplish the end-of-year certification process, complete Attachment 7, Validation and Verification Checklist, and Attachment 8, Certification Memorandum.

Timeframe:

States/Centers are to submit their budget responses using the formats provided in the attachments to HQ780, Attention Beverly Chappelle and Sandra Hall, by 14 April 2023 for MYR and 21 July for TQR. Submit workload measures to Raymond Smith and Michael Asghedom by 14 April 2023 for MYR and 21 July for TQR. National program leads are to submit their consolidated performance reviews by 21 April 2023 for MYR and 21 July for TQR to Beverly Chappelle, Sandra Hall, Raymond Smith, and Michael Asghedom. End-of-year performance certifications are due on 16 October 2023. All submissions should be

Budget Impact:

Timely review of budget and performance data promotes efficient, mission-focused execution of the BLM budget. The Office of Budget is aware that states and centers have not yet received their final allocations for FY 2023. This data call is intended to collect the best information you have to date, and due consideration is given to the timeline.

Background:

The MYR and TQR process is part of the financial review cycle to ensure allocations are spent strategically and no fund/functional area is over or underspent at year-end. These reviews allow the BLM to redirect and adjust accordingly.

 

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:

None

Contact:

For Budget Execution inquiries, contact Beverly Chappelle at bchappe@blm.gov . For performance inquiries, contact Raymond Smith, Program Analyst, at r1smith@blm.gov or
202-742-0615.  For all other questions, contact Sandra Hall, Branch Chief, Budget Execution, at sahall@blm.gov or 706-910-3977.

Coordination:

This IM has been coordinated with the HQ Directorates.

Signed By:
Barbara Eggers
Assistant Director
Business Management and Administration
Authenticated By:
Ambyr Fowler
Division of Regulatory Affairs and Directives (HQ-630)