NARA prepares archive RFP

By year's end, the National Archives and Records Administration will take a big step to help agencies face their colossal electronic records dilemma. CIO Reynolds Cahoon told lawmakers that NARA would release a request for proposals by January to build the Electronic Records Archives system. The solicitation's development follows meetings with more than 72 companies, which led NARA officials to realize a long-term fix requires the creation of a digital archives, he told the House Government Reform subcommittee on technology, information policy, intergovernmental relations and the census. NARA's new understanding comes from two areas, Cahoon said. First, the administration's e-government program has inserted records management at all levels of the Federal Enterprise Architecture. Second, NARA's acceptance of the Defense Department's Records Management Applications standards for software has given agencies more than 40 commercial products to choose from that adhere to a set of common criteria.