The Biden Administration’s IT Operating Plan Is a Missed Opportunity to Implement a Defined, Overarching Federal IT Strategy
In the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 passed in March, Congress wrote that “the federal government must maximize the impact of [federal IT modernization] funds by developing a strategic plan for use of the funds.” In response, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in coordination with the General Services Administration (GSA), recently released an IT operating plan sharing the Biden Administration’s spending strategies regarding appropriated IT funds. While the plan highlights critical technology investments and important focus areas for federal IT modernization, it’s ultimately a missed opportunity to implement an overarching IT strategy that guides and sustains federal IT funding while holding agencies accountable for meeting IT modernization goals.
In her opening message, Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO), Clare Martorana, states that the plan aims “to explain…the wise investment of each dollar Congress has entrusted to [OMB and GSA] towards its highest use.” To accomplish this, OMB shares its key priorities for federal IT initiatives in the document, as well as offers “strengths” and “strategies” for three federal IT funding channels: the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), the Federal Citizen Services Fund (FCSF), and the Information Technology Oversight and Reform (ITOR) Account.
Congress established the TMF through the Modernizing Government Technology Act of 2017 as a government-wide revolving fund focusing on broad, collaborative federal IT initiatives. GSA created the FCSF to drive “innovation in government through interagency programs to enhance the federal government’s ability to do business electronically and to disseminate Federal government information to the public.” And lastly, OMB manages ITOR to invest in IT monitoring activities and innovative IT solutions, as well as staffing activities for the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), the federal government’s rotating tactical tech team that supports IT modernization efforts across federal agencies.
As these descriptions suggest, the purposes of these funds are very similar. After all, Congress and past administrations established each to support federal IT modernization, so it’s not surprising their objectives overlap.
And yet, it’s not clear why these funding channels should continue to maintain the separate strategies the IT operating plan lays out. After all, Congress tasked OMB with developing a (single) strategic plan “that will prevent duplication of efforts, direct the funds to their highest use and guarantee coordination among agencies.”
As the plan discloses in its “Case Studies” section, OMB and GSA have both used the FCSF and TMF to invest in Login.gov. Likewise, USDS initiatives like the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS)—the design system providing website standards, components, and templates for the federal government—have used both the ITOR account and FCSF. These aren’t bad investments by any means and leveraging funds from different sources doesn’t necessarily mean duplicated efforts, but it does raise questions regarding how and when these funds are tapped and whether there is a sufficient overarching strategy to guide spending.
Furthermore, the plan states that “ITOR, TMF, and FCSF are key to enabling strategic-level execution of IT efforts and investments across Federal agencies.” This is likely true, but there first needs to be a clearly defined federal IT strategy.
As it stands, OMB presents priorities and strategies in the IT operating plan that are not “unified” as suggested. The foundations referenced in the document are strong—such as developing tech talent, emphasizing shared services, and leveraging commercial partnerships and products—but it’s not clear how OMB will actualize these goals through strategies spread across three different funding channels.
Federal IT modernization requires a cohesive, overarching strategy that offers clear targets and outcomes built around the mission and customer. IT initiatives funded through the TMF, FCSF, and ITOR should drive those outcomes. While it may be a logistical and legal nonstarter for OMB and GSA to suggest consolidating these funds into one, federal IT modernization activities and investments can at least be driven by a single strategy (rather than multiple strategies) and coordinated across agencies to ensure funds are maximized to their “highest use.”
In fact, the IT operating plan already includes building blocks for OMB to develop an overarching federal IT strategy, namely leveraging the existing strengths (and money) of the IT funding channels (e.g., staffing and talent development, project oversight and governance, agency accountability and repayment, development of shared services and solutions, and technical support) to deliver on a set of strategic goals (e.g., adoption of targeted shared services, implementation of customer-focused data insights, cost reduction, growth of tech talent, etc.).
Per Federal CIO Clare Martorana, “[the federal government] can deploy technology that is secure by design, reduces costs for agencies, eliminates administrative burden for both customers and the Federal workforce, delivers Government services that meet modern expectations for the American people, and inspires the next generation to serve our great country.” These goals can easily be converted into measurable strategic outcomes that guide individual agency IT spending.
The next step for OMB is bringing the “strengths” and “strategies” detailed across the separate funding channels together into a single, overarching federal IT strategy, with OMB and GSA providing leadership, oversight, and support, and federal agencies adhering to identified timelines and measurable objectives (e.g., all federal agencies must adopt Login.gov and adhere to USWDS web standards by 2025). The IT operating plan by itself lacks these timelines and defined metrics to monitor the progress of the stated goals and is therefore ultimately toothless, running the risk of becoming yet another failed promise to address challenges identified 20 years ago in the E-Government Act of 2002.
The Biden Administration’s IT operating plan illustrates important priorities for federal IT modernization, highlights much of the good work being done, and demonstrates the continued need for funding in this space. However, until Congress can point to a defined federal IT strategy and connect funding activities with that strategy, it will continue to demand OMB, GSA, and other federal agencies defend their IT spending. With an overarching IT strategy that drives spending activities and offers measurable outcomes, Congress can better evaluate IT initiatives and, hopefully, continue to approve additional funding to support the important effort of federal IT modernization.
