Treasury CIO: $300 Million Needed for E-Gov

Jim Flyzik believes $300 million would be the right number to get federal e-government initiatives truly off the ground.

But the Treasury Department chief information officer ? who also is acting assistant secretary for management, as well as vice chair of the Federal CIO Council ? said the government doesn't need to budget the entire amount.

Instead, he thinks the government should provide $100 million in new funding, industry should agree to match that amount, and federal agencies should be challenged to find funds within their existing budgets to contribute to the total.

"I know they can do it," Flyzik said in an interview with Washington Technology.

The Bush administration has proposed spending $100 million from an e-government fund during the next three years, while pending Senate legislation would provide $200 million annually over the same period.

Flyzik, who also spoke at a July 31 Federal Sources Inc. breakfast meeting of industry and government officials, told his audience the administration is forming a new CXO Council that would examine opportunities for governmentwide cooperation in areas such as travel, e-procurement and consolidating contracts.

The council, whose first meeting is scheduled for August, would be comprised of representatives from the CIO Council, the Chief Financial Officers Council, human resource directors and other government organizations.

This approach is consistent with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's philosophy, he said: "If you're going to do business with this secretary, think enterprise."

In keeping with the enterprise approach, Flyzik called for creative contracting, such as increased use of share-in-savings contracts.

"These can work, especially if the agency baselines its costs," he said.