Energy tool assists IT analysis

One application that government insiders would like to see from Expert Choice

Inc.'s decision support software is integration with the Web-based Information

Technology Investment Portfolio System (I-TIPS). I-TIPS is an online system

developed by the Department of Energy that helps federal chief information

officers and IT managers answer questions about technology spending and

analyze proposals for how to spend an agency's IT budget.

Designed to be used with an existing IT capital planning process, I-TIPS

(www.itips.gov) enables users to capture data they are using for capital

planning and generate reports, which is mandatory under the Clinger-Cohen

Act.

Given a set budget for IT spending, agencies can use I-TIPS to help

select, control and evaluate IT investments, apply best practices, consolidate

existing IT databases, create a single repository for all IT initiatives,

construct a balanced portfolio of IT investments and comply with federal

IT procurement laws.

"I-TIPS is an excellent tool for capturing project performance data,

[and] Expert Choice is an excellent tool for linking project data to strategic

priorities," said Debra Stouffer, acting deputy CIO for IT Reform at the

Department of Housing and Urban Development. "Together they are a comprehensive

portfolio management system."

Tomas Ramirez, a senior technology analyst at the General Accounting

Office, said work is currently under way to examine how Expert Choice and

other tools can best be integrated with I-TIPS.