Davis seeks SmartBuy details

Capitol Hill's government watchdog is asking the Office of Management and Budget to divulge details of the stalled enterprise software program known as SmartBuy.

Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the Government Reform Committee, wants answers to 21 questions proposed by industry. He sent a letter last month to Karen Evans, administrator for IT and e-government at OMB, asking OMB and the General Services Administration to clarify the plans for the project. GSA is managing SmartBuy.

Among the questions from industry are concerns about the review process, the role resellers will play and how agencies will make non-SmartBuy purchases.

Davis said IT vendors expect the answers will help them in "understanding the new processes being envisioned and maximizing their ability to participate effectively."

The project to negotiate government-wide enterprise software deals has gone far slower than planned and has been tweaked by OMB and GSA. Originally, OMB expected GSA to finish a few agreements with vendors before October. So far, GSA has inked no deals.