$50 Million Budget for Integrated E-Gov

President Obama reinforced his call to modernize government by asking Congress to spend tens of millions of dollars over three years on governmentwide innovations.

The fiscal 2011 budget creates a $50 million account for the "integrated, efficient and effective uses of information technology." Acceptable uses of the money include governmentwide shared IT resources, consolidated and energy-efficient platforms, IT security services and architectural assistance to make agency IT systems talk to each other better. The Office of Management and Budget would control the pool of money from 2011 through Sept. 2013.

The fiscal move reflects a new attitude toward federal IT. Throughout his first year in office, Obama has pulled together a team of high-ranking officials, from senior advisers to deputy secretaries, who are depending on IT to improve how the government delivers services and formulates policies.

"This funding will provide a central federal strategic resource base controlled by the director of the Office of Management and Budget to be used for rapid development and governmentwide deployment of services and solutions to implement a more integrated, efficient and effective use of information technology in the federal government," the budget states.

The pool of money also would promote a shared services model that the Bush administration tried but hadn't deployed governmentwide. The model is intended to save money by outsourcing IT work to an office that services multiple agencies. "Performance metrics will be established to realize the efficiencies of shared services delivery to federal agencies from a central source," the budget notes.

Separately, the president's request would add $3 million to a $17 million pot of money for "governmentwide innovations, initiatives, and activities" on the condition that the increase fund test projects requiring collaboration among multiple agencies that are aimed at "improving specific outcomes."