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Federal Research: Interim Report on the Pilot Technology Access Program

RCED-94-75 Published: Mar 07, 1994. Publicly Released: Mar 07, 1994.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO provided information on the Pilot Technology Access Program (TAPP), which provides small businesses with technical and business information and expertise that they may not be aware of or able to afford, focusing on the program's status, implementation, and evaluation.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Commerce Because an accurate determination of the effectiveness of TAPP will be critical to future decisions about the program, the Secretary of Commerce should direct the Administrator of the Technology Administration to take steps to improve the precision and clarity of the questionnaires that managers use to collect client feedback on the program. The questionnaires should provide definitions where appropriate and ask direct questions that will determine client satisfaction and program impact.
Closed – Not Implemented
Congress has already decided not to fund the TAP program after fiscal year 1995. Therefore, the recommendation to develop a systematic evaluation survey to support future funding decisions is no longer relevant. Further, program officials are planning to gather and analyze available data on client satisfaction while GAO's final required report will focus on "best practices" developed by the TAP centers.

Full Report

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Topics

state relationsGrant monitoringGrants to statesInformation centersProgram evaluationProgram managementSmall business assistanceSurveysTechnical assistanceSmall business