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Government Leader home > August 2005 issue
August 2005; Vol. 1 No. 3
ANSWERING THE CALL: Make Sure Your Budget Request Passes Muster
By Jason Miller
Sometime around Sept. 5, the Office of Management and Budget will receive your agency’s fiscal 2007 budget request and before they even open the folder, you and your colleagues will make a mad dash for the door for vacation, right?
Well, not quite. Before your leave slip is approved, letting you relax on a beach far away from discretionary spending numbers and budget-justification documents that come with the 80-plus-hour workweeks of putting together a budget request, you need to be aware that your job is far from done.
Sure, take a week off and recuperate, but budget experts say the next three to four months are almost as crucial as the first nine months you spent crunching numbers.
Once OMB’s budget examiners get ahold of your request, you will be hit with a seemingly endless barrage of questions about why a certain project deserves more money next year or how a project helps your agency accomplish its mission.
While there is a little bit of a respite from September until mid-October, the pace picks up through the end of November and early December as OMB goes through the director’s review and agency pass-back processes. And then the agency determines which decisions to appeal back to OMB.
Here are survival tips from former OMB and agency budget officials on what you can do to make your budget request sail more smoothly through the process. Remember budgeting is an art, a science and a game.
Start early. End-of-the-year budget negotiations actually begin the previous year. Save the questions from previous budget meetings. This, experts said, will help you understand what your examiner is interested in.
You also should communicate often with your budget examiner. The relationship should be steady, constant and on solid ground.
Follow the yellow brick road. OMB writes budget guidance for a reason, so don’t stray too far from it. Too often, political appointees get too caught up in their own priorities and “go native,” instead of following the administration’s plan. You also will need a foolproof justification to make sure OMB grants the extra money or new projects.
Only a phone call away. When the budget examiner calls, be responsive. Get the answers they are looking for quickly and completely. There is a rhythm to the budget process and when the budget examiner is working on your agency, he or she has deadlines to meet; clear and concise information will make their lives easier. In fact, experts said call the examiner shortly after you submit your request and ask if they need anything and check in weekly.
Practice makes perfect. Before you go before OMB to defend your budget, try holding a mock hearing. Think of questions OMB will ask and make sure you have well-thought-out answers. Budget decisions are based on the best view of where the money is needed most. The budget examiner also must make an “elevator” presentation to OMB director Josh Bolten so the more they understand, the more likely they will be able to explain it in their two minutes.
I object, your honor. When OMB cuts an important project, which you know they will, have a good sense before you get the pass-back in December what your appeal strategy will include. Decide what you can trade and what you can live without. Are there places where you can consolidate requests with another part of the agency?
Rally the troops. If you are having trouble making the case with your budget examiner, enlist the Office of Federal Procurement Policy or the Office of IT and E-Government to help explain why a certain project is important. Many times people inside OMB will have more sway over colleagues.
Why can’t we be friends? Always make friends with your budget examiner.
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