The General Accounting Office recently issued a study to analyze the performance measures established by USCIS to monitor and evaluate the performance of contractor operated call centers, how performance measures were used to evaluate the contractors performance, and any actions USCIS has taken, or plans to take, to strengthen call center operations.

GAO found that USCIS developed seven performance measures intended to assess the performance and overall quality of responses provided by customer service representatives at contractor-operated call centers.  These measures include how quickly calls were answered and the accuracy of information provided.  The contract between USCIS and its contractor stipulated that the contractor could earn financial incentive awards if the average monthly performance met or exceeded the standards on a quarterly basis at each of the four call centers.  Financial decisions could be made if the standards were not met.

GAO found that USCIS did not finalize the terms regarding how the contractor’s actual performance would be calculated before awarding the contract.  This limited USCIS’s ability to exercise performance incentives because the parties could not reach agreement on performance terms.  USCIS suspended the use of financial incentives while the parties negotiated the issue.  Agreement was not reached after 16 months. However, USCIS determined that the contractor had failed to meet standards for four of the seven performance measures in the fourth quarter of 2004 and took action to reduce its payments for services.  The contractor objected, citing the lack of agreement on the performance measurements and the impact of workload increases, but USCIS disagreed and stated it would reduce payment. 

In a separate but related matter, USCIS failed to meet contractual regulatory and GAO standards pertaining to how the contractor’s performance would be documented - especially with respect to any deficiencies.  Finally, USCIS exercised its option to extend the call center contract through May 2006, to allow time to solicit and award new call center contracts.  USCIS said it intends to finalize performance measurement terms in the new contracts.

To improve USCIS’s evaluation of contractor performance, the GAO recommended that USCIS take steps to ensure that performance measurement provisions be finalized before awarding new contracts and that performance evaluation records be properly maintained.