A bill intended to clean up the federal government’s messy approach to information technology procurement is awaiting the president’s signature after passing Congress with bipartisan support.
The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act would give technology officials more control over the way their agencies spend their IT budgets, taking decision-making power out of the hands of bureaucrats with “little to no expertise,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Various departments and officials hold differing levels of authority over IT management under the present system, Issa said, creating a “fractured” approach to technology purchases that allows millions to fall through the cracks.
According to the Government Accountability Office, the federal government spends more than $80 billion on IT systems each year.
Much of that money is wasted on “cost overruns, long delays and servicing outdated programs,” Issa said.
Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., co-sponsored the bill with Issa in the House, while Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Tom Carper, D-Del., did the same in the Senate.
Connolly pointed to the “antiquated laws and bureaucratic cultures that stifle innovation” as a reason why he said government agencies have wasted so many taxpayer dollars on failed IT solutions. FITARA would grant government chief information officers authority over technology management and personnel, streamlining the process by “empowering agency CIOs to champion best practices in IT management,” Connolly said.
FITARA would require agencies to review their existing technology systems to get rid of duplication or waste. The legislation would also force the government to consolidate its more than 9,000 federal data centers to boost efficiency and save money.
The act passed the Senate Friday by a vote of 89 to 11 as part of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.
