IRS enrolls in contract school
When IRS unveiled its long-awaited Tax Systems Modernization blueprint this spring, one of the first questions was: What's the cost? To help keep the TSM price tag low, Treasury Department officials said they turned to an office that has proven its usefulness. Treasury and IRS will rely on the Treasury Acquisition Institute for training TSM staff.
TSM shapes up as bidders' duel
Teams led by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Computer Sciences Corp. have emerged as the "prime" contenders for the multibillion-dollar TSM contract, IRS chief information officer Arthur Gross said. In working with industry over the past few months, IRS has held many meetings with members of the Lockheed and CSC teams, he said.
Treasury's Flyzik gets down to business
The appointment capped a months-long process during which Treasury's top echelon sifted through dozens of applications for the vacancy created by the departure in January of the department's first CIO, Wushow "Bill" Chou. Flyzik said his promotion, which had been expected for months, does not add to his power but that it will have other advantages.
SEC looks to Webware to serve more information agencywide
The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking at new ways to use World Wide Web technology to streamline agency operations as it prepares to upgrade its Internet server. Fran Rowell, a computer specialist and webmaster for SEC's intranet, said the commission has realized the importance of Web technology and plans to increase its use.
Expect renewed fight over MAS co-op plan
A cooperative purchasing plan to let state and local governments buy through Multiple-Award Schedule contracts may not be dead--yet. Although the Senate and the House Appropriations committees this summer voted in favor of banning cooperative purchasing, which Congress proposed three years ago, the issue may end up at the budget conference table.
INS will roll out inspection kiosks at airports in fall
After four years of prototypes, the Immigration and Naturalization Service will roll out the INS Passenger Accelerated Service System at selected airports by the end of the year. INS officials expect INSPASS to decrease immigration inspectors' workloads because low-risk passengers, such as frequent business travelers, will process their own immigration clearances at system kiosks.
Congress attacks OMB for lax GPRA oversight
Last month, Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Science Committee, voiced his concerns about OMB oversight of GPRA implementation. He chastised OMB for not reviewing agencies' strategic plans carefully. Earlier this year, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) threatened to halt funding for agencies that did not meet the Sept. 30 deadline for submitting the long-term strategy reports mandated by the 1993 law [GCN, June 30, Page 1].
Hill, Treasury clash over bills to restructure IRS
Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) and Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced identical IRS Restructuring and Reform Act bills based on the recommendations of the bipartisan National Commission on Restructuring the IRS. Kerrey and Portman were commission co-chairmen. At least three House and Senate committees, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means and Finance committees, will review the bills. They will schedule hearings after Congress returns from its August recess.
IRS restructuring team praises its MVP
If the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS were a baseball team, Charles Lacijan would be the utility player. Commission members and others on the staff described Lacijan as the unsung hero of the project, which wrapped up last month with the release of a report recommending wide-ranging change throughout IRS.
Treasury seeks EBT answers
Congress has mandated that all agencies and departments issue payments electronically starting Jan. 1, 1999. The law excludes tax refunds and allows some other exemptions, but it generally requires agencies to use EBT and electronic funds transfer whenever possible. Each year the government pays $100 billion in benefits to some 30 million Americans.
Hill calls for 2000 czar
In the July 15 letter to the White House, the lawmakers also asked Clinton to publicize the year 2000 problem and issue an executive order directing "agencies to give highest priority to correcting the problem." The lawmakers-Reps. Steve Horn (R-Calif.), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Connie Morella (R-Md.) and Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.)-signed off by noting, "We look forward to working with you to ensure that Jan. 1, 2000, is not remembered as the day the government's computers
Senate seeks better Wang deal
Dissatisfied with a five-year services contract it awarded to Wang/I-Net Government Services in 1992, the Senate last year renegotiated the contract based on the fixed-priced model. The McLean, Va., company provides installation, maintenance, help desk, LAN administration and troubleshooting services for all Senate hardware and software. Senators buy their own equipment but rely on Wang/I-Net for support.
Boots leaves Justice for NPR and beyond
His first stop will be the National Performance Review, where he will spend six months on an online security project. After that, Boots, the director of systems technology at Justice, will be job hunting again. "I really think that at the end of the six months, I will have given the Department of Justice and the National Performance Review their money's worth, and I will be ready to move on to something new," Boots said.
AID wasted $70 million on systems, IG reports
The AID IG's report said the agency wasted the money trying to design and deploy the New Management System. NMS has created more problems than it has solved since being deployed Oct. 1, said the report signed by IG Everette B. Orr. The main problems are managerial not technical, the IG concluded. "To a large extent, this problem exists due to underlying organizational and management deficiencies that allow substandard IRM practices to continue despite high risks
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