Author Archive
Christopher J. Dorobek
Digital Government
10 to miss Y2K deadline
More than 90 percent of federal systems will meet the Clinton administration's March 31 deadline for agencies to have all mission-critical systems ready for 2000, the administration's year 2000 czar said this month. Ten of the government's 24 major agencies will have one or more systems to finish up in the coming months, according to the latest status reports that agencies sent to the Office of Management and Budget last month.
Digital Government
Reports tie IT weaknesses to agencies' problems | GCN
A set of reports recently sent to Congress point up flaws in government management and identify troubled information technology efforts as interlinked with the problems. In one report, the inspectors general of 24 agencies listed what they consider the government's most serious management and performance problems. Meanwhile, in a series of reports on government's riskiest programs, the General Accounting Office said most agencies lack clear systems architectures, making it difficult for them to build interoperable systems.
Digital Government
NASA raises eyebrows with low outsourcing prices
Outsourcing its desktop PC operations will cost NASA less than it had anticipated. The cost of desktop PCs at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., through the Outsourcing Desktop Initiative at NASA, will run from $2,000 to $3,400 per seat annually, said Mark Hagerty, the agency's ODIN program manager.
Digital Government
Federal 2000 emergency funds are going, going, halfway gone
How much have civilian agencies received? The government is spending its emergency year 2000 funds too quickly and perhaps unwisely, a group of Capitol Hill lawmakers is contending. So far, the Office of Management and Budget has allocated nearly half of the $2.5 billion Congress allotted in fiscal 1999 for emergency 2000 needs by civilian agencies. OMB also is reviewing a request from the Defense Department to tap the $1.1 billion lawmakers granted for
Digital Government
SSA will deliver even if banks aren't ready for 2000
The Social Security Administration may not have heard the last of the year 2000 problem, despite President Clinton's proclamation last month that the agency's systems are ready and that Social Security payments are not at risk. The hitch? The distribution of Social Security benefits hinges not only on the administration's systems but those of financial institutions, too. The readiness of those systems is less sure.
Digital Government
As SBA finishes date code work, OMB lauds federal 2000 progress
The Small Business Administration crossed the year 2000 finish line first, the Office of Management and Budget reported last week as it released agencies' latest date code status reports. The Social Security Administration is right on SBA's heels and will finish a close second, OMB said. After reviewing the quarterly reports, the administration has an optimistic view of the government's year 2000 status, senior OMB officials said.
Digital Government
OMB pushes year 2000 cost estimate up by $785 million
The government last week raised by more than three-quarters of a billion dollars its cost estimate for preparing federal systems to handle dates after Dec. 31, 1999. Based on the latest quarterly reports filed by agencies, the Office of Management and Budget now expects to spend $4.7 billion on year 2000 programs, up $785.5 million since OMB's last projection in November.
Digital Government
Congress does U-turn on NGI's future funding
In a change of heart, House and Senate lawmakers have drafted bills that would ensure that Next Generation Internet research receives at least $200 million for fiscal years 1999 and 2000. Both houses of Congress last fall refused to fund NGI at the level the administration had requested. After complaining that agencies had no clear plan for NGI research, Congress approved $85 million instead of the $105 million Clinton requested for the program for this
Digital Government
Congress digs in with GPRA
With the first reports required under the Government Performance and Results Act in hand, lawmakers are working to take GPRA to the next step. Their aim: Make sure agencies create clear business strategies, measurable goals and annual performance reports. "The leadership in Congress has made an extraordinary commitment to this effort. All of us are serious about changing the quality of management in the federal government," Rep. Steve Horn (R-Calif.) said. "Management needs to be
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