Whose Contracting Mess Won't Appear in FAPIIS, but Should?
Jul 19, 2011 by Gary Therkildsen*
Give yourself credit if you guessed "ArmorGroup North America Inc." (AGNA) and the "Lord of the Flies" environment they oversaw in the housing camp for U.S embassy guards in Kabul, Afghanistan, which our friends over at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) exposed back in 2009.
read in fullNew Executive Order Could Improve Government Websites
May 18, 2011 by Gavin Baker
On April 27, President Obama signed Executive Order 13571, entitled "Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service." Building on a Clinton-era order, E.O. 13571 requires agencies to develop plans to make their customer service more efficient and effective. Agencies have to publish their plans online within 180 days.
read in fullFAPIIS is a Steaming Pile
Apr 25, 2011 by Gary Therkildsen*
On April 15, the government finally made the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) available to the public. Reviews of the previously secret database have been harsh – Tom Lee at the Sunlight Foundation said, "FAPIIS may be the worst government website [I've] ever seen" – and after perusing the site last week, this blogger sees no reason to question that assessment.
read in fullWhite House Unveils Taxpayer Receipt
Apr 15, 2011 by Gavin Baker
Today – on what would be Tax Day, had it not been delayed by Washington, DC's Emanicipation Day holiday – the White House released a new taxpayer receipt tool.
read in fullFederal Spending Anxiety to Shut Off Spending Info Website
Apr 1, 2011 by Craig Jennings
At a time when federal spending is the top concern of everyone in Washington, Congress is about to turn off the federal website that tells us where those federal funds are going.
Get Ready for a Lot More Information on Government Performance
Dec 23, 2010 by Gavin Baker
The Government Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Performance Improvement Act, now awaiting President Obama's signature, will significantly expand the amount of information available to the public about government performance.
read in fullFederal Government's IT Reform Efforts Come Into Focus
Dec 17, 2010 by Gary Therkildsen*
Last month, OMB management guru Jeff Zients unveiled the Obama administration's five-part internet technology (IT) reform proposal during a talk before the Northern Virginia Tech Council. Highlighting the administration's achievements in IT reform thus far – including the launching of the IT Dashboard and a recently concluded review of federal financial system projects – Zients sketched out the five parts: introducing budget and acquisitions flexibility, strengthening program management, increasing accountability, increasing engagement with industry, and adopting light technologies.
read in fullInternational Comparison Ranks U.S. Well on Budget Transparency
Oct 19, 2010 by Gavin Baker
A new international comparison of budget transparency ranks the U.S. among the world's leaders, but highlights some areas for improvement.
read in fullAdministration Targets High-Risk IT Projects
Aug 24, 2010 by Gary Therkildsen*
The Obama administration released yesterday a list of 26 mission-critical information technology (IT) projects that will receive immediate attention from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) because they "have experienced problems such as significant cost increases or schedule delays." This reassessment process of IT projects, which is part of the administration's reform-minded 2012 budget process and their larger Accountable Government Initiative, seeks to set the programs straight before they waste any more taxpayer funds.
read in fullStandard Coding Next Big Step in Contracting Oversight
Aug 11, 2010 by Gary Therkildsen*
Testifying before a Senate subcommittee last week about efforts to deploy a sophisticated fraud-prevention tool developed through the Recovery Act across all federal agencies, a government official told senators that the "biggest impediment" to successful utilization of the technology is "the lack of a...governmentwide award number system." Adoption of such a system, which would provide a universal code to government contract awards, could transform federal contracting oversight.
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