Performance Area

FY 1999 Annual Performance Goal

Proposal and Award Processes

Use of Merit Review

Goal 6

At least 90 percent of NSF funds will be allocated to projects reviewed by appropriate peers external to NSF and selected through a merit-based competitive process. FY 98 Baseline: 90%. FY 1999 Goal: 90%.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved. 95% of projects allocated funds in FY 1999 were merit reviewed.

Implementation of Merit Review Criteria

Goal 7

NSF performance in implementation of the new merit review criteria is successful when reviewers address the elements of both generic review criteria appropriate to the proposal at hand and when program officers take the information provided into account in their decisions on awards; minimally effective when reviewers consistently use only a few of the suggested elements of the generic review criteria although others might be applicable.

FY 1999 Result: Largely successful, needs improvement. In FY 1999, a total of 44 reports by external experts rated NSF on their use of the new merit review criteria. NSF was rated successful in achieving this goal by 36 of those reports.

Customer service --Time to prepare proposals

Goal 8

95% of program announcements and solicitations will be available at least three months prior to proposal deadlines or target dates improving upon the FY 1998 baseline of 66%.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was not achieved; 75% of program announcements and solicitations were available at least three months prior to proposal deadlines or target dates.

Customer service --Time to decision

Goal 9

Process 70% of proposals within six months of receipt improving upon the FY 1998 baseline of 59%.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was not achieved; 58% or proposals were processed within six months of receipt.

Award Duration

Goal 10

Increase average duration of awards for research projects from a FY 1998 base of 2.7 years to at least 2.8 years.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved.

This goal will be replaced in FY 2000 with a goal on customer service.

Maintaining Openness in the System

Goal 11

NSF will increase the percentage of competitive research grants going to new investigators to at least 30%, 3% over a baseline of 27 %.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was not achieved; 27% of competitive research grants were made to new investigators.

Emerging Opportunities

Identifying emerging Opportunities

Goal 12

All directorates within NSF will establish Web sites for the science and engineering community to provide suggestions for and comment upon emerging opportunities.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved. Web sites for providing suggestions and comments on emerging opportunities were established by all directorates at NSF in FY 1999.

Integration of Research and Education

Encouraging integration of research and education

Goal 13

NSF will ensure that all of its new announcements of opportunities and proposal solicitations will contain an explicit statement encouraging proposers to integrate research activities with improving education or public understanding of science.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved.

Diversity

Encouraging attention to diversity in all aspects of NSF programming

Goal 14

NSF will ensure that all of its new announcements of opportunities and proposed solicitations will include a statement encouraging proposers to address improving the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering in the course of their research and education activities.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved.

Facilities Oversight

Construction and upgrade

Goal 15.a

Keep construction and upgrades within annual expenditure plan, not to exceed 110 percent of estimates.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved.

Goal 15.b

Keep construction and upgrades within annual schedule; total time required for major components of the project not to exceed 110 percent of estimates.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was achieved.

Goal 15.c

For all construction and upgrade project initiated after 1996, keep total cost within 110 percent of estimates made at the initiation of construction.

FY 1999 Result: This goal was not applicable in FY 1999.

Operations

Goal 15.d

Keep operating time lost due to unscheduled downtime to less than 10 percent of the total scheduled possible operating time.

FY 1999 Result: The results were inconclusive. The data base was under development in FY 1999 and requires further evaluation.