Tag Archives: CIO

The Show Must Go On. How State and Local Governments are Powering Through Budget Shortfalls

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Though the word may be overused, state and local governments are indeed facing unprecedented challenges. Forced to move operations online in response to their own stay-at-home orders, state and local agencies have spent the last year retooling how they serve citizens. They have been paying for necessary technology upgrades and other new equipment while revenues from taxes have dropped considerably. Even with these financial challenges, state CIOs are committed to continuing with their innovation and modernization efforts.

A study from the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) showed that priorities for state and local CIOs stayed consistent over the last year, with cybersecurity and enhancing digital citizen service being the top two. Of course, these two areas saw critical investments in 2020 just to keep the business of government running. In 2021, the solutions put in place will be revisited, evaluated for efficiency, and operationalized to support agencies moving forward.

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Making the Grade: All Agencies Receive a Passing Score on FITARA Scorecard

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For the first time ever, every government agency received a passing score on the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) Scorecard. Now, this does not mean that everyone made the honor roll, rather the general GPA is around a C.

FITARA was enacted in 2014, and report cards come out twice a year to measure and track progress in meeting the modernization efforts outlined in the legislation. The scorecard has evolved over the years as deadlines have passed, and new modernization metrics have been implemented.

The coronavirus pandemic underscored the need for modernization. Agencies had to hustle to move processes fully online and make them accessible to a remote workforce and the public who could no longer visit government offices to conduct business. It reinforced the need for modernization to move from a wish list or "we'll get there" item to a critical need.

In this 10th report, The General Services Administration (GSA) received an A+ grade on the scorecard for the second time in a row. The Education Department dropped out of the A-range, falling to a B. They joined two other agencies in dropping scores, while seven agencies showed improved results, and 14 stayed the same. The majority of agencies passed in the C-range. Continue reading →

FITARA is Evolving and Agencies are Keeping Up

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The ninth Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) Scorecard, released in December, showed promising progress in meeting goals and in holding agencies accountable for their modernization efforts. For the first time, three different agencies earned an "A" or higher. The General Services Administration and Department of Education both received an "A+" and The United States Agency for International Development got an "A." This scorecard was the only time a failing grade was not handed out. Overall, agencies have upped their scores from a "D" average on the first scorecard in 2015 to a current "C+" average.

Scores are not the only thing that has increased. What is being measured has also grown. The first scorecard only measured four areas -- data center consolidation, IT portfolio review savings, incremental development, and risk assessment transparency. The latest version has nine subcategories that include measuring progress against recently enacted legislation.

Big gains in scores were found in regard to compliance with the Megabyte Act, legislation that aims to improve the way agencies manage their software licenses. Gains were also found in giving CIOs more authority. In fact, the reporting found that 22 agencies had permanent CIOs, two had acting CIOs and, of those, 16 reported directly to leadership.

Progress on data center consolidation also continues, though not without controversy. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) voiced concern with the Office of Management and Budget's latest guidance on data center consolidation that changes the language to "optimization" and not "consolidation." He argued that consolidation is what frees up capital and drives cost savings, an area where agencies still struggle. Continue reading →

10 Stats You Should Know about Federal IT

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Here's what CIOs told Congress about their current IT investments.

Federal agencies plan to spend at least $82 billion on information technology this year, including high-priority projects to improve health care delivery and national security.

But the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov and growing concerns about the government's use of IT to provide veterans better access to care have again spotlighted how agencies buy, manage and deliver IT services.

The Senate Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce held a hearing June 10 to understand how IT investments are being monitored and coordinated governmentwide, what lessons agencies have learned from experiences and what IT workforce challenges they face. CIOs from the departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management were among those who testified at the hearing.

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Agencies Back in Planning Mode

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Originally posted on FCW by Adam Mazmanian

Agency CIOs are back at the drawing board, confidently planning long-term modernization and improvements with a two-year budget deal in place.

While the IT spending portion of President Barack Obama's 2015 budget request was the ostensible topic at the annual Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Agency breakfast on March 26, it was the deal in Congress for an end to the sequestration regime that introduced new predictability to feds and contractors.

"Last year I was joking about COBOL as a service," said Cheryl Cook, CIO of the Department of Agriculture. "We're doing better this year than last year. I don't think anyone is feeling smug."

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