OMB shelves new Web policy
OMB suggests principles for agency Web sites Strategic planning: Set clear goals with performance measures that demonstrate value, support consistent service, maintenance and product delivery, and ensure the security of information and systems. Service delivery: Use the Web to complement other service delivery tools. Exercise judgment when linking to nongovernmental sites. Public access, dissemination and the Government Information Locator Service: Strive for accuracy, relevance, timeliness and complete information for sites, and
With one deadline missed, agencies scramble to finish date code repairs
One of the first year 2000 milestones came and went quietly late last month. Agencies were supposed to have their mission critical systems renovated by Sept. 30, but only a handful of agencies met the Office of Management and Budget deadline, federal officials said. OMB has ordered agencies to complete testing of all date code fixes by January. All date code work must be complete by March.
At conference, 23 feds win IT honors
RICHMOND, Va.—G. Martin Wagner of the General Services Administration and Nada D. Harris, formerly with the Veterans Affairs Department, took home the top leadership awards last week at the Industry Advisory Council's Executive Leadership Conference. Wagner and Harris were among 23 federal employees honored by the Government Information Technology Services Board and IAC, a member of the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils.
NARA gets more time to set archiving policy
A federal district court judge is giving the government some breathing room in finalizing a policy on preserving electronic records. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman, in a Sept. 29 ruling, modified his April decision that ordered the National Archives and Records Administration to have new electronic records guidelines in place by Sept. 30.
Study says 2000 systems projects remain top concern for agencies
When the Electronic Industries Alliance surveyed agencies on their five-year systems spending plans, it turned up an unsurprising fact: Date code work is king. Year 2000 efforts are eclipsing spending on many federal systems as agencies face increasing pressure to meet readiness deadlines, agencies told the Arlington, Va., association. "They see Y2K as a sea anchor" that is stifling creativity and other information technology projects, said Sara DeCarlo, director of marketing for Bell Atlantic Corp.'s federal division
GSA stays the course on Seat Management
GSA, NASA prepare first seat orders. Boeing Information Services Inc. may have won its protest of the General Services Administration's Seat Management Program contracts, but in the end that win may not get the company anything. GSA's Federal Technology Service last month responded to the agency-level protest ruling by deciding not to give the Vienna, Va., company a contract.
CIOs mull plan for IT pay scale
RICHMOND, Va.—To keep the information technology workers the government has now and attract new recruits, the Chief Information Officers Council is weighing the creation of a separate pay scale for government IT employees. Council officials said they think that offering better pay will attract IT employees and retain existing staff members, many of whom leave government for more lucrative private-sector jobs.
There's no quick fix for archiving electronic records, archivist says
Implementing a new policy for archiving electronic records will take time, the national archivist said last week. Because of the complexities associated with electronic documents, it could take more than two years for some agencies to come up with ways to destroy or store those documents, John W. Carlin said. "There are no easy answers, and much work remains to be done," he said. "Clearly federal agencies want to manage their electronic records—indeed, all their records—more effectively,
GSA smart card center opens for agency tryouts
When it opened its new Smart Card Technology Center this month, the General Services Administration opted to use the tools the center will promote. So the center has a smart card access system that makes it one of the most secure offices at GSA headquarters. To enter the facility, one must pass through the center's smart card electronic access control system, which officials call the gatekeeper. To gain access, users must insert smart cards into a
White House OKs export of some strong encryption
FBI's Carolyn Morris says center will help fulfill investigative duties. The Clinton administration will allow the export of strong encryption products for protecting certain types of data and supports creation of a federal encryption research center, White House officials said this month. The announcement was an attempt to resolve the long-standing dispute between companies that use encryption to protect proprietary information and law enforcement and national security agencies that need access to computer data
OMB Watch says GILS implementation is poor
Most federal agencies have not implemented indexing programs for the Government Information Locator Service, according to the administration watchdog group OMB Watch. In a recent report, the nonprofit Washington organization found 33 agencies still have not posted online any records for the information indexing service. Among the agencies are two Cabinet-level departments, Justice and Transportation.
ATF pioneers PC outsourcing
ATF used desktop PC outsourcing because it didn't have the budget to replace all its PCs, CIO Patrick Schambach says. The Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms launched desktop PC outsourcing long before the General Services Administration announced its Seat Management contracts. The bureau embraced the concept to keep up with rapidly changing technology, said ATF chief information officer Patrick Schambach. "It was a must for us," he said, because there was
Agencies get help testing code
Agencies rushing to fix year 2000 date code problems will increasingly rely on independent validation and verification to ensure systems are fixed, experts said. Many agencies realize that it is impossible to completely test systems for year 2000 readiness, said Robert Deller, president of Market Access International Inc. of Chevy Chase, Md.
CIO Council gives its OK to federal IT architecture
In a major step toward creating a governmentwide systems architecture, the Chief Information Officers Council this month unanimously approved the Federal Enterprise Architecture Conceptual Framework. The framework provides a bird's-eye view of an architecture that promotes federal interoperability, agency resource sharing, capital acquisition planning and improving the government's ability to share information across agencies.
OPM told to focus more on ends, less on means
OPM Director Janice R. Lachance called the GAO report unfair and too negative in tone. The Office of Personnel Management can improve its performance goals by focusing more on results, a report by the General Accounting Office said. But OPM Director Janice R. Lachance called the report, Results Act: Observations on the Office of Personnel Management's Annual Performance Plan, unfair and criticized it for its negative tone.
Warner leads effort to gain support for bill
The Senate Rules and Administration Committee is trying to gain lawmakers' support for a bill that would dramatically change how agencies publish government documents, whether on paper or electronically. The committee earlier this month postponed a markup of the Wendell H. Ford Government Publications Reform Act, S 2288, to build consensus for the proposal, lawmakers said.
CIO Council issues IT investment guide
Agencies implementing capital planning processes for systems investments need to develop well-rounded approaches, the Chief Information Officers Council recommends. Agencies that have already rolled out capital planning processes generally have not used integrated approaches, the council said in a new report, Implementing Best Practices: Strategies at Work. The council's Capital Planning and Information Technology Investment Committee developed the best-practices guide and posted it on the Web at http://cio.gov.
GAO: Sloppy oversight lessens accuracy of spending data
Data on agencies' procurement habits is still unreliable despite improved financial systems, GAO said. Procurement reform and budget cuts have slowed agencies in their end-of-the-year race to spend, but bad data makes tracking the trend difficult, the General Accounting Office said in a recent report.
GSA targets small businesses
GSA has adopted a tough-love approach toward small businesses, agency administrator David J. Barram says. GSA wants to usher disadvantaged and small businesses into the mainstream, FTS commissioner Dennis J. Fischer says. The General Services Administration wants small businesses to take part in its Seat Management Program.
Lee says she'll continue on reform path
OFPP's Deidre A. Lee says she has been studying the best way of keeping reform on track. Deidre A. Lee has not finished decorating her new office in the Old Executive Office Building, but she has been busy setting priorities for the Office of Federal Procurement Policy.
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