OMB wants industry input on tracking stimulus dollars

The Obama administration wants the information technology industry to help develop tools for improving the transparency of the spending under the economic stimulus law.

The Office of Management and Budget, along with the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board and the National Academy of Public Administration, will hold a weeklong national online dialogue with "leading IT vendors, thinkers and consumers" starting April 27, the agencies said in an announcement today.

Details will be released in the near future, the announcement said.

The goal is to apply IT tools to make fully accessible the information on expenditures and use of the $787 billion spending law. The Recovery.gov government Web site is to provide an ongoing account of the spending and projects funded by the law.

“What ideas, tools and approaches can make Recovery.gov a place where all citizens can transparently monitor the expenditure and use of recovery funds?” the agencies asked. “Your ideas can directly impact how Recovery.gov operates and ensure that our economic recovery is the most transparent and accountable in history.”