The Census Bureau failed to adequately monitor advertising contracts for 2020 census, watchdog says

The US Census Bureau contract orders worth hundreds of millions of dollars related to advertising to promote participation in the campaign were not properly managed or monitored 2020 CensusAccording to the Office of the Inspector General, this is potentially a waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Bureau’s contracting officers failed to ensure compliance with standards to measure contractor performance and did not receive supporting documentation for paid media invoices totaling $363 million, according to an audit report released last month by the watchdog agency.

“As a result, the agency could have accepted substandard performance, potentially wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on ads that did not fully meet program goals and reach the intended audience,” the report said.

The inspector general’s audit focused on contract orders worth $436.5 million for paid advertising to promote participation in the once-a-decade workforce that determines political power and power. the allocation of $2.8 trillion in federal funding in the U.S

One example was a May 2020 order to spend $2.2 million on flyers placed on pizza boxes promoting completing the census questionnaire online during the early days of stay-at-home orders issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency could not provide supporting documentation showing that the flyers were delivered to the zip codes where the intended audience lived, the audit report said.

Although the findings in the audit report are valid, the communication campaign was nevertheless a success faces many challengesthe Census Bureau said in a response.

The US Headcount campaign was the first to encourage all participants to complete the form online and has also faced unprecedented obstacles in reaching people due to the pandemic, wildfires, hurricanes and social justice protests that have at times challenged the ability of prevented census workers from reaching homes, the agency said.

The campaign “raised awareness of the census and encouraged self-response through a variety of communication channels, successfully using innovative communication techniques in lieu of in-person local and national activities,” the agency said.

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