White House releases new guidance on infrastructure funds

Seeking additional oversight, the White House released new guidance on how agencies can ensure “accountability, effectiveness and transparency” in the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“The initial guidance will ensure that there is minimal fraud, waste and abuse in the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and projects are delivered on time and on budget by delivering results with accountability, effectiveness and transparency; collaborating with inspectors general and the oversight community; and, providing technical and financial assistance for communities,” said a fact sheet from the White House.

The Office of Management and Budget outlined guidance on using data and evidence in designing programs, planning program implementation in order to be consistent with the law, documenting reviews and selections for discretionary programs, reporting on awards and engaging with the Government Accountability Office. The guidance also touches on collaboration with state, local, Tribal and territorial governments.

The new guidance says, “to assess future workforce needs, agencies are strongly encouraged to develop short-, medium-, and long-term strategic workforce plans” and that agencies should incorporate their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility strategic plans and other policies consistent with the “strengthening and empowering” of the federal workforce provision of the President’s management agenda into their recruitment, hiring, onboarding and retention practices.

According to the White House, agencies have already begun reporting monthly on infrastructure awards and sub-awards, primary agencies have identified an infrastructure implementation coordinator and the infrastructure task force and White House implementation team have already held dozens of meetings.

“There’s a lot of really good stuff here and I’m extremely happy that the White House is trying to incorporate some of the lessons learned on some of the Covid spending [and] avoid some of the missteps that were made,” said Sean Moulton, senior policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight.