Federal Manager's Daily Report: Wednesday, October 6, 2004 FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal government with now over one million weekly readers. To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm *********************************************************** Valuable Information for the Federal Family
Federal Job Search http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Job Bulletin Board http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Brand New Federal Manager's Daily Report--FREE Daily Electronic Briefing http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm ********************************************************** In This Week's Issue 1. GSA Adds Online Procurement Features 2. FBI Making Needed Management Improvements but Lacks Plan, Says GAO 3. Air Force Allows Group-Based Time Off Awards *********************************************************** 1. GSA Adds Online Procurement Features The General Services Administration has announced new features to its online procurement tools that it says will make it easier for agencies to purchase goods and services through those vehicles online. It said agencies can now search GSA Advantage! by category and that improved keyword searching and refined filtering capabilities will cut down the time it takes federal buyers to find what they need. Changes to e-Buy, through which agencies get quotes from federal vendors, are designed to find contractors and obtain quotes more quickly. GSA said the new features are in response to requests from federal buyers and emphasized that they are consistent with its "get it right campaign" aimed at ensuring the proper use of GSA schedules. More information about the new search functionality can be found at: www.gsaadvantage.gov. 2. FBI Making Needed Management Improvements but Lacks Plan, Says GAO The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking needed steps to improve the management of its systems modernization process, though it lacks an "integrated plan for modernizing its IT systems," the Government Accountability Office has said. It said the individual planning processes of the divisions and organizational units that manage IT projects do not provide a "common, authoritative, and integrated view of how IT investments might optimize mission performance, and, "they do not consistently contain the elements expected to be found in effective systems modernization plans." The FBI said its policy does not require modernization planning, which GAO attributed to the FBI's apparently diffuse and decentralized responsibility for managing IT. The FBI's CIO has begun to address the planning shortfalls, but the bureau risks acquiring systems that would be costly to integrate and may complicate organizational transformation, said GAO. It also said while the FBI has put in place sound IT human capital policies and procedures, the governing systems acquisition often fail to adhere to industry best practices. "In addition, the bureau's investment management policies and procedures, which started in 2001, have been evolving and progressing slowly toward alignment with best practices," said GAO. It said the FBI is investing over a billion dollars a year for three years to modernize IT systems and is a central part of the organization's transformation. GAO recommended that the FBI limit near-term IT system investment until developing "an integrated systems modernization plan and effective policies and procedures for systems acquisition and investment management," and that FBI provide its CIO with the authority to effectively manage IT throughout the bureau. GAO-04-842 3. Air Force Allows Group-Based Time Off Awards The Air Force has expanded its time off awards policy to allow such awards for group, rather than just individual, accomplishments. The "civilian team incentive award" will allow supervisors to grant a time off award to employees part of a team whose joint achievements contribute to meeting organizational goals or improving efficiency, effectiveness and economy. A justification for a team award must document the team nature of the achievement and why all members of the team deserve to share equally in the recognition. FEDweek 11541 Nuckols Rd. Suite D Glen Allen, VA 23059 (804) 288-5321 Website: http://www.fedweek.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are subscribed to federalmanagersdailyreport as [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
