A Call to Action For IT Leaders

Following the failed launch of HealthCare.gov, President Obama stated, "The way the federal government does procurement and does IT is just generally not very efficient. In fact, there's probably no bigger gap between the private sector and the public sector than IT."

The problems associated with HealthCare.gov made headlines and brought government IT to the forefront of politics. In spite of an agenda loaded with significant public policy and national security issues, Congress has spent substantial time debating legislation to reshape federal IT governance and procurement. Last week, the House passed the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) and lawmakers’ ongoing attempts to legislate the management of government IT are certain to continue in 2014. At CEB, we are watching these developments closely and believe changes to federal IT governance and procurement practices are inevitable, regardless of the changing outlook for a particular piece of legislation. We also believe that IT leaders need to assume responsibility for stewarding change for government IT, rather than waiting for change to be forced upon them.