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DOD will accept comments on electronic payment rule

The Defense Department is asking for the public’s input on a proposal to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement to require contractors to submit payment invoices electronically.

People

Consultant gives tips for government CRM projects

Customer relationship management is quietly blossoming in the government, a CRM consultant and author said yesterday.

People

FEMA will oversee all wireless efforts

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will coordinate all federal wireless communications projects in a bid to ensure interoperability and standards while avoiding stovepiped systems.

People

Administration touts smart cards, but some agencies are skeptical

While the Office of Cyberspace Security prepares a governmentwide security plan for release this summer, Paul Kurtz, its senior director for national security, is urging agencies to think seriously about using smart cards to protect their systems against a terrorist attack.

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AFFIRM: Cultural resistance blunts e-gov efforts

NEW ORLEANS—Cultural, organizational and resource barriers are the top obstacles to e-government implementation, according to a white paper released yesterday by the Association for Federal Information Resources Management at the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils’ Management of Change Conference.

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Defense council OKs plans to streamline

Members of the Defense Department’s Business Initiative Council have signed off on more initiatives they hope will streamline DOD business operations and improve support to warfighters.

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OMB: E-gov projects will help reduce bad payments

Bush administration officials expect that two of the 24 e-government initiatives will help the government lower the $20 billion in erroneous payments agencies made in fiscal 2001.

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FirstGov’s new search engine is ready to go

The General Services Administration will launch the FirstGov portal’s new search engine on time, according to a GSA source.

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Haycock is named to connect e-gov projects

The Office of Management and Budget earlier this month created a chief architect position to manage its 24 e-government projects and work on the overall federal IT framework.

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OMB Web site will post inventoried agency architectures

The Office of Management and Budget is developing a Web site to make agencies’ plans for system architectures accessible to government officials and vendors. Norman Lorentz, OMB’s chief technology officer, said yesterday the Enterprise Architecture Management System should be online by the end of June.

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IRS online system checks 1040EZ refund status

The IRS rolled out another part of its multiyear, multibillion-dollar modernization today when it went live with a system that lets the 6 million taxpayers who file the 1040EZ form online check the status of their refunds.

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OMB anticipates next round of GPEA reports

With one year to go before the Government Paperwork Elimination Act kicks in, the Office of Management and Budget is expecting agencies to show substantial progress in automating transactions, two speakers said today at the annual FedWeb conference.

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DOD double-times smart-card use

The Air Force has begun using smart cards to control entry at more than 100 Air Force bases worldwide and access to 50,000 computers.

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Stouffer takes job as EPA’s first chief technology officer

<br><b>Debra Stouffer</b> yesterday became the Environmental Protection Agency’s first chief technology officer. She previously was deputy CIO at the Housing and Urban Development Department, a position she had held since May 1999. Earlier this month Stouffer finished a 90-day detail with the Office of Management and Budget. <@SM>

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Council seeks 32 e-gov fellows to learn about leadership

The Council for Excellence in Government will choose 32 e-government fellows from among federal IT managers, up from 25 last year.

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Air Force picks contractor for XML forms

The Air Force earlier this month awarded PureEdge Solutions Inc. a contract to test software for converting the service’s 14,000 electronic forms into Extensible Markup Language.

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Federal site gains health accreditation

The National Library of Medicine’s consumer-oriented health directory is the first government Web site to get accreditation from a Washington group that promotes standards in the health care industry.

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OMB tightens grip on e-gov purse strings

When agencies dragged their feet on the Online Rulemaking initiative, the Office of Management and Budget gave the project’s partners a jolt: It demanded that they work together and pool their resources to pay for the project.

People

FEMA seeks cooperation on disaster portal

Administrative obstacles are the most daunting hurdles for the developers of disasterhelp.gov, a government portal for coping with natural and human calamities.

People

DOD class pinpoints e-gov definition

Ask 10 people “What is e-government?” and you’re likely to get 10 different answers.