Feds tout management agenda success

In the three years since e-government rose to the top of the President's Management Agenda, more agency IT systems are secure, have their performance validated by metrics and are meeting at least 90 percent of cost and schedule goals, the administration said today.

In its report to federal employees, The Federal Government is Results-Oriented, Office of Management and Budget officials said agencies are using IT to improve programs and not using technology for technology's sake anymore.

The report highlights the administration's successes across all five areas of the PMA over the last three years.

OMB is tracking 27 agencies' efforts to meet Bush administration management goals on human capital, competitive sourcing, financial management, e-government and budget and performance integration.

Each quarter for the last three years, OMB has graded agencies on their efforts to meet criteria in each of the areas using a stoplight system.

"The federal government is results-oriented, with the help of new disciplines and habits departments and agencies are adopting through the PMA," the report said. "The focus on results is not new, but what is new is a greater expectation than ever before that managers, line employees, indeed entire agencies, will be held accountable for meeting the goals they set."

OMB said 70 percent of agency IT systems are secure versus 26 percent three years ago; 72 percent of agencies have mechanisms in place to validate performance on cost, schedule and performance goals; and about 50 percent of agencies meet at least 90 percent of their cost and schedule goals.

Only five agencies?the Smithsonian Institution and the departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Interior and Veterans Affairs?did not accredit at least 50 percent of their systems as secure.

And only three agencies?HUD, Army Corps of Engineers and Smithsonian?did not have at least 50 percent of their IT business cases accepted by OMB.

In the competitive-sourcing category, agencies spent $87.6 million in fiscal 2003 on completing 662 competitions. OMB estimates this will save the government $1.1 billion over the next three to five years.

Nine agencies did not complete any competitive-sourcing studies, while Agriculture completed the most, 400.

"The PMA now is really the sum of department and agency results agendas," the report said. "Departments and agencies are producing greater results. They are working more productively. They are increasing their focus on desired outcomes using the tools first set forth in the PMA so they can provide better value for the American taxpayer."