OMB will soon release requests for e-gov initiatives

Requests for proposals for the Office of Management and Budget’s 24 e-government initiatives likely will be issued in the coming months, according to a senior administration official.Norman Lorentz, chief technology officer for OMB, said the outcomes of almost all of the projects are understood, so the next step would be to release RFPs in the “near term.”Lorentz yesterday was the keynote speaker at the Council for Excellence in Government’s e-government seminar in Washington.“By the end of the quarter, we will be rolling on the ones that are ready,” he said. “Our intention is to have the private sector do much of the heavy construction. The government should be in the IT management and process business.”Lorentz said the RFPs likely will go through the normal bid process, rather than OMB going to the General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Service schedule or another governmentwide contract. With the 18- to 24-month time frame OMB has set for the projects, Lorentz said the RFP process likely will be done more quickly than usual.OMB also will consider using a storefront or private labeling approach, in which agency project leaders customize private-sector technology.