FEDERAL SECTOR REPORT

CHANGE OF PLANS

Last December 3rd, I completed my Y2K work at the Executive Office of the President and entered into a 500-hour strategic development engagement with an Institute of the University of the District of Columbia. But EOP called me back to serve as acting program manager for the White House Web Site and an intranet development project. I completed that 3-month task (when the federal manager returned from extended leave), and I am now drafting procurement documents, working with federal personnel to draft IT policies, and supporting the planning process for the presidential transition that will occur this next winter. So I have been at EOP on weekdays and fulfilling my duties for UDC during evenings and weekends. Thus, time for a free newsletter has been zip.

Quick Takes

Over the past few months, EOP has reoriented its information technology service procurements toward Performance Based Service Contracting (PBSC), a trend that is shared by many federal agencies. Rather than traditional Requests for Proposals, I am drafting Performance Work Statements (PWS) and Statements of Objectives (SOO). The focus is on results, along with incentives for performance and penalties for nonperformance. For software applications, we're attempting to focus on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solutions as much as possible--and using competition among suppliers on the GSA schedule when appropriate.

Topics for draft policies have encompassed configuration management, intranet access and content, software management (anti-piracy), and computer security. The general game plan is for me to collaborate with the government specialists in these areas and translate requirements into policy language that is agreeable to managers, lawyers, users, and specialists.

One of the more fascinating areas of work has been the IT planning activities for the presidential transition. The framework includes the Presidential Records Act, the Presidential Transition Act, and a great deal of legal precedent. Transition is a major drill: For the outgoing administration, all presidential records must be identified and transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration--responsible for the presidential libraries. For the incoming administration, there is everything from having enterprise systems ready and changing the web site to providing a large inflow of appointees with network user accounts and PCs.

At UDC, I am helping to plan a professional development system, a professional registry, and a trainer certification process for child care and education workers. The D.C. Government is supporting the system as a means of upgrading both workers and the quality of services.

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We provide enterprise-level management consulting services for federal agencies and the contractors who support them. Our areas of specialization are Capital Planning and Investment Control, Enterprise Architecture, strategic planning, performance evaluation, and acquisition support including work statements. Our consulting specialty includes experience in many related areas such as CIO program support, earned value management, risk management, the C&A process for security, and customer satisfaction surveys.

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