The key idea is that a detailed financial report tracks what has actually been obligated and spent, so you can see the real flow of funds and how it compares to what was planned. In civil works contexts, the 2101 Report brings together obligation and expenditure data across the relevant appropriations and projects, showing obligations incurred, amounts liquidated, and what remains unobligated. This lets budget and financial managers analyze spending patterns, monitor progress, identify variances from the budget, and assess whether funds are being used within authorized limits. It provides a clear, actionable view of both commitments and outlays, which is exactly what you need to analyze obligations and expenditures. Obligation/expenditure targets, by contrast, are planning benchmarks for future spending rather than a tool for analyzing current or past outlays. Unliquidated obligations indicate commitments that haven’t yet been liquidated, which is part of the picture but not the complete analysis tool. Budgetary forecasts are forward-looking projections of needs and funding rather than a detailed accounting of obligations and expenditures that have already occurred.