GSA seeks vendor input for next set of e-gov projects
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The Bush administration by September wants to finalize business cases for projects to consolidate systems in three areas: financial, human resources and grants management.
The Bush administration by September wants to finalize business cases for projects to consolidate systems in three areas: financial, human resources and grants management.The General Services Administration this month issued a request for information seeking ideas on how the government can better integrate the systems and services that support these three lines of business. Vendors have until May 17 to respond to the llines-of-business RFI.Once the business cases are done, the Office of Management wants GSA to issue requests for proposals before the end of the year.These efforts mark the kickoff of the next set of e-government projects, the line-of-business consolidations.'The three lines of business are a major part of how we are doing business across the government,' said John Sindelar, OMB's director of lines-of-business e-government projects. 'These are real opportunities to make changes in the federal government.'GSA also might issue an RFI this summer for case management. Case management and federal health architecture are the other two components of the line-of-business initiative.The business cases, which the agency managing partners will put together, will identify common systems and develop target architectures for the governmentwide projects.In the RFI, GSA detailed what the systems for the three lines of business must cover:
What's called for
What's called for
- Financial management: improve business performance while ensuring accountability, financial controls and mission effectiveness
- Human resources: standardize and integrate personnel data
- Grants management: support back-end administrative functions.
Vendors must answer 32 questions for each line of business, ranging from acquisition strategy to security and privacy to technology.
'The RFI allows for transparency and partnership for the effort to ensure all interested parties, both government and industry, have an opportunity to work with us to create solutions while saving taxpayers' dollars,' OMB administrator for e-government and IT Karen Evans said.
OMB has been looking at these initiatives for more than a year. It hired a contractor to assess consolidation opportunities last summer and found that the large number of HR, financial and case management systems offered the most opportunities for cost savings.
Administration officials added grants management after internal budget examinations found duplicative back-end systems.
In December, OMB set up interagency working groups that identified standards and opportunities. And last month the office created a project management team to develop the RFI.
Interagency task forces will review the responses and draft recommendations and alternatives by June.
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