3: Enhanced Management Excellence

Modernize Smithsonian management systems by bringing each of them to a level of quality and sophistication appropriate to an organization of the size and complexity of the Institution.

Other Information:

To bring coherence, focus, and flexibility to the Institution’s twofold mission and to strengthen its performance management and accountability structure, we have grouped the Smithsonian into five divisions: Office of the Secretary Office of the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Offi cer Office of the Under Secretary for Science Office of the Under Secretary for Art Smithsonian Business Ventures Our greatest management challenge is to arrest the deterioration of the Institution’s physical plant. The cost of our facilities maintenance backlog is now estimated at $2.3 billion for the nine-year period of fi scal years 2005-2013. This fi gure includes upgrading heating, plumbing, air conditioning, electrical systems, fi re alarms, sprinklers, security systems, and other systems; repairing structural damage; and addressing many more problems associated with aging buildings that have been neglected for far too long. One glaring example of the consequences of past neglect was the closure in 2004 of the Arts and Industries Building to the public because of safety concerns. We look to the Federal government to help solve our daunting facilities problems; without at least $150 million annually for facilities revitalization, the Smithsonian cannot expect to get ahead of these problems. Although such funding has doubled since fiscal year 2000, it must grow another 50 percent to reach the levels recommended by NAPA and GAO. In addition to the revitalization projects discussed above at the National Zoo, Donald W. Reynolds Center, National Museum of American History, and National Museum of Natural History, and the beginning stages of the new African American museum, major facilities projects occurring during this strategic timeframe include: Mothballing the Arts and Industries Building and relocation of staff and programs located there ($34 million); Completing the Pod 5 specialized storage facility at the Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland, which will eliminate a major safety concern by removing collections preserved in approximately 365,000 gallons of alcohol from non-code-compliant facilities ($42.7 million); Installation of permanent physical security barriers at Smithsonian facilities both on and off the National Mall ($55 million). Another management priority has been and continues to be the modernization of the Institution's management systems—many of which are unwieldy and out of date—and its administrative and communications offices, to bring them all to a level of sophistication appropriate for an organization of the Smithsonian’s size and complexity. Work on enhancing security, modernizing telephone systems and computers, and upgrading financial control infrastructure continues, despite considerable staff shortfalls due to insufficient federal funding. The Institution’s collections management system faces similar challenges as collections grow, standards in preservation rise, new technologies create new demands, and demands for greater access mount. The Smithsonian is aggressively working to improve its performance in line with the President’s Management Agenda. It has numerous initiatives under way to advance financial management, implement e-government, improve human capital planning and management, integrate budgeting with long-term performance goals, and identify functions to study for possible competitive sourcing.

Objective(s):

5.1: Facilities Capital:

5.2: Facilities Maintenance

5.3: Facilities Operations

6.1: Security

6.2: Safety

7.1: Information Technology

8.1: Performance Management

8.2: Human Resource Management and Diversity/Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

8.3: Financial Management

8.4: Public and Government Affairs

8.5: Procurement and Contracting

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