OMB directs agencies to GSA for credit monitoring

The Office of Management and Budget is pushing agencies to the General Services Administration’s contracts for credit monitoring services.A Dec. 22, 2006, memo requires agencies to consider GSA’s service offerings along with any other monitoring services they are researching. Agencies also must tell GSA officials and Karen Evans, OMB’s administrator for e-government and information technology, how any new agreement beats GSA’s deals.Notices to OMB and GSA officials must include pricing, terms and conditions of the award under consideration, according to the memo. The required information will allow GSA to review its blanket purchase agreements to make sure it has the best value for credit monitoring services.The memo’s purpose is to “encourage agency consideration of [GSA’s BPAs] to the maximum extent practicable,” the memo states.“The initiative will leverage the government’s spending power by offering reduced prices and enable improved oversight and better reporting,” according to the document.Loss of sensitive, personally identifiable information can lead to identify theft and financial loss, it states. Credit monitoring services have become important, especially after numerous information losses and breaches last year. The services aim to prevent potential damage caused by data security breaches.GSA is leading the monitoring services initiative under its Federal Supply Schedule.