The objective of benchmarking is to become the best at performing activities and processes. Thus, benchmarking should also involve comparisons with competitors or other industries. However, it is often difficult to obtain the necessary data for external benchmarking to work. In some cases, it may be possible to study best practices of noncompetitors. There are certain activities and processes that are common to all organizations. If superior external best practices can be identified, then they can be used as standards to motivate internal improvements. The federal government has used best practices of private sector companies to improve its services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), for example, sent a team to Citicorp to study how Citicorp serviced mortgages. As a result, the USDA consolidated its loan-servicing activities from 2000 field offices into one central unit in St.Louis. This action, along with other changes, cut the cost of servicing the USDA is loan portfolio by $250 million over five years.