The White House announced that it will be changing how the government purchases and uses Information Technology. This is welcomed news and is overdue. Government contractors have always known that the IT acquisition process is long and drawn out. And while the government may request innovation in the solicitation, the proposed solution may not be innovative by the time it is implemented. This means the technology the government uses oftens lags behind the technology available in the commercial sector.

 

According to a Washington Business Journal blog post on Friday November 19, this will be changing. Their post “New federal IT strategy a step forward” quotes Jeffrey Zients, who is the acting director and chief performance officer of the Office of Management and Budget, as saying the plan will "fundamentally change how the federal government purchases and uses IT." The hope is that acquisitions will be conducted on a more timely basis, with quicker decisions. As a company that works with IT government contractors, we certainly hope so.

 

To read the WBJ’s entire blog post visit: www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2010/11/new-federal-it-strategy-a-step-forward.html