{
  "id": "RL30661",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30661",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101981,
      "date": "2002-01-15",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:17:18.637941",
      "title": "Government Information Technology Management: Past and Future Issues (The Clinger-Cohen Act)",
      "summary": "Government reform and improved management of public resources have been a common theme\nin\ncongressional policymaking over the past decade. This report provides an overview of the\nInformation Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA) of 1996, or as it is better known, the\nClinger-Cohen Act. Although the Clinger Cohen Act is a combination of the Federal Acquisition\nReform Act (FARA) and the ITMRA, this report focuses on the information technology procurement \nand management reforms only. \n  At the time of its passage, ITMRA reflected a growing concern that the federal government was\nnot prepared to successfully make the necessary information technology investments to streamline\nagencies and improve mission performance. The ITMRA repealed the Automatic Data Processing\nAct of 1965, or as it is better known, the Brooks Act. The goal of the Brooks Act was to reform\nfederal information technology procurement by concentrating purchasing authority within the General\nServices Administration (GSA). However, prolonged acquisition cycles and rapid changes in\ntechnology eventually diminished the effectiveness of the \"one-size-fits-all\" approach of the Brooks\nAct.\n  The major provisions of ITMRA include: eliminating GSA's role as the  primary \n agency for\nsetting policy and regulations for federal information technology procurement, mandating the creation\nof a chief information officer (CIO) in all of the major federal agencies, establishing goals and\nreporting requirements for the reduction of costs and increase in efficiency through improved\ninformation management, and creating two pilot programs (\"Share-In-Savings\" and \"Solutions-Based\nContracting\") to test alternative acquisition approaches.\n  Several years later some of these issues still have not been completely resolved. Agency efforts\nto follow through on the CIO provisions have been mixed. Non-competitive salaries, high turnover,\norganizational inertia, and budgetary control issues have been obstacles to implementation. The\ndevelopment of annual performance plans to evaluate the value of information management have been\ndelayed due to measurement problems . In addition, little progress has been made to utilize the\n\"Share-In-Savings\" pilot program for information technology procurement. Some observers believe\nthis is the result of an inability to measure baseline costs, poor project selection, and lack of agency\nincentives.\n  Looking ahead, as Congress has become increasingly interested in the Internet and information\ntechnology issues, it is possible that some provisions of the Clinger-Cohen Act and closely-related\nnew concerns may receive attention in the 107th Congress. Some of these issues include the use of\nreverse auctions to lower procurement costs, the possibility of creating a position for a federal CIO,\nand the potential need for chief technology officers (CTO) as interest in electronic government and\nthe delivery of services to citizens via the Internet grows.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30661",
          "sha1": "2917395d98ae9af625ad27b86c3b2c9f7338d718",
          "filename": "files/20020115_RL30661_2917395d98ae9af625ad27b86c3b2c9f7338d718.pdf",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20020115_RL30661_2917395d98ae9af625ad27b86c3b2c9f7338d718.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "National Defense",
    "Science and Technology Policy"
  ]
}