, DECEM*BER 2020
CITY OF CHICAGO , . '
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
AUDIT OFTHE CITY'S CAPITAL \. IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION
JOSEPH M FERGUSON INSPECTOR GENERAL
CITY OF CHICAGO OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL. 740 NORTH SEDGWICK STREET, SUITE 200 CHICACO, ILLINOIS 60654 TELEPHONE (773)478-7799 FAX (773) 478-3949
DECEMBER 22, 2020
TO THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY CLERK, CITY TREASURER, AND RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has completed an audit ofthe development and evaluation ofthe City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Our objective was to determine ifthe City develops and evaluates its CIP in accordance with leading practices described by the United States Government Accountability Office. Specifically, we examined whether the City aligns capital improvement decisions with organizational goals, selects capital projects using an investment approach, evaluates historic outcomes, and incorporates lessons learned into the capital decision-making process.
Based on the audit results, OIG concluded that the City's CIP development and evaluation largely mirrors leading practices for development but does not consistently evaluate goal achievement using performance measures or incorporate lessons learned from completed projects into future capital decision-making. We recommend that the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) define Citywide standards and increase transparency. In response, OBM stated that it agrees with our recommendations and has incorporated some into the 2021-2025 CIP, released in November 2020. OBM also intends to increase transparency by publicly sharing selection criteria and identifying additional opportunities for public engagement and input.
It is critical that the City fully implement leading practices for the selection and post-completion evaluation of capital projects, and apply lessons learned to future decision making. Moreover, given the size ofthe investment—...
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