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GCN Home > March 20, 2000 issue

Another View: Francis A. McDonough and Martha A. Dorris

International IT initiatives hold lessons for feds

Sometimes you have to go far away to get a good perspective on things at home. That’s what we did in joining delegates from 26 countries at the 33rd International Council for Information Technology in Government Administration (ICA) conference held recently in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.

Using what we culled from that conference, we’ll share some observations and offer some ideas for federal managers:

Electronic commerce. E-commerce is a hot topic in all 26 ICA nations. In the United Kingdom, the prime minister’s goal is to have all government purchases handled online by 2004. Denmark has allocated $2 million in grants for nine pilot programs promoting a public-key infrastructure for use in self-service systems.

Ireland has enacted an e-commerce law that includes provisions for data, copyright and intellectual-property protection.

We recommend that the U.S. federal IT community commission the Office of Intergovernmental Solutions at the General Services Administration to study other countries’ initiatives in detail and suggest plans for action.

Online services to citizens. A report last year from the Office of Intergovernmental Solutions, Integrated Services Delivery: Forty Governments Using Technology to Serve the Citizen, detailed slow progress in online services despite countless discussions, conferences and reports on the subject since 1988.

Chief information officers should address the big question: Why is integrated services delivery for citizens taking so long?

Our research shows three causes: a lack of funding mechanisms for cross-government initiatives; stovepipe organizations in the executive and legislative branches; and a shortage of managers skilled in intergovernmental operations.

Protecting new procurement flexibility. In 1996, legislation gave federal managers greater flexibility in buying IT goods and services. Now the important thing is to protect this flexibility and to spread the gospel to other nations.

We suggest three actions. First, commission a study documenting the benefits of the streamlined federal procurement process. Second, initiate a self-policing program to demonstrate to industry and Congress that strong self-regulation negates the need for new and restrictive legislation. And third, sponsor a conference to teach other nations how to streamline their procurement processes.



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