Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA)

See the following -

Who's To Blame When IT Systems Fail?

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | October 11, 2013

When it comes to government technology, assigning responsibility can be tricky. Read More »

A Call to Action For IT Leaders

Kris van Riper and Lon Zanetta | Nextgov | March 4, 2014

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." Read More »

CIOs To Gain Authority, Better Alignment With Business Leaders

Kenneth Corbin | CIO.com | December 4, 2013

A measure attached to defense funding bill would consolidate government CIO organization structure, grant new budgetary authorities that could align IT more closely with mission objectives. Read More »

Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act opens the door for 'Open Source'

Matthew Weigelt | FCW | December 4, 2012

Two members of Congress, reaching across the partisan divide, are pushing the government to think broadly -- governmentwide -- about open-source software, provoking warnings from industry groups...  Read More »

FedScoop Guide: FITARA

Kathryn Sadasivan | FedScoop | March 19, 2013

With sequestration and looming budget cuts, it’s hard to know what the future of federal government IT will look like. To make it a little easier, FedScoop created a quick guide on a piece of legislation that’s getting a lot of attention right now: the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act. Read More »

Fighting The Next Obamacare Tech Fail

Dustin Volz and Sophie | Nextgov | January 16, 2014

In terminating CGI Federal's role in HealthCare.gov, President Obama finally "fired" one of the parties responsible for Obamacare's faulty website. That may appease the chorus of those calling on Obama to hold someone "accountable," but it does nothing to fix the underlying problem: the system for selecting contractors that picked CGI Federal in the first place. Read More »

Government Has Dropped The Ball On IT Reform, Lawmaker Says

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | July 10, 2013

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., lashed out at government technology leaders on Wednesday for being slow to adopt cost-saving reforms laid out early in the Obama administration and for failing to adequately report their progress. Read More »

House Committee Approves FITARA, FISMA Update

David Stegon | FedScoop | March 21, 2013

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved two bills on Wednesday that could have lasting effects on the federal information technology community if made into law. Read More »

House Oversight Chairman Calls IT Budget Request Misleading

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | April 11, 2013

The chairman of the House committee that oversees most government information technology spending on Thursday criticized the $82 billion IT request included in President Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal, saying the figure is likely misleading. Read More »

House Oversight Leaders Find Rare Bipartisan Agreement On Open Source IT Reform

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | December 3, 2012

Issa has proposed legislation to reform federal information technology acquisitions that, among other things, would urge agencies to use open source software when possible. Read More »

House Republicans and Democrats Find Rare Bipartisan Agreement on Open Source IT Procurement

In these politically polarized times, Americans expect Republicans and Democrats to disagree on every detail right down to what day of the week it is...So it’s remarkable and unexpected when any legislation exits a House committee with unanimous bipartisan support. It’s even more surprising when the legislation potentially threatens the status quo for established corporate interests—in this case information technology companies. The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITAR) —sponsored by California Republican Darrell Issa along with Virginia Democrat Gerry Connolly, and supported by every member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee—threatens to put open-source software on par with proprietary by labeling it a “commercial item” in federal procurement policies. Read More »

Ignore Those Rumors: The White House Doesn’t Oppose IT Reform, Lawmaker Says

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | August 16, 2013

The perception among federal technology watchers that U.S. Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel and other officials from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget oppose a plan to overhaul government IT spending is off the mark, a co-sponsor of that bill says. Read More »

Is It Time To Revisit Clinger-Cohen?

Camille Tuutti | FCW | December 3, 2012

The time has come to revise the framework that dictates the acquisition process for federal IT, according to two lawmakers in what might be a rare moment of bipartisan agreement. Read More »

Issa Proposes Legislation To Reboot Federal IT

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | September 20, 2012

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., is floating proposed legislation that would drastically reform the way federal technology is purchased, including by granting agency chief information officers authority over their information technology budgets. Read More »

IT Acquisition Bill Would Push 'Bid-To-Price' Selection Process

Matthew Weigelt | FCW | March 15, 2013

An updated draft Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act might open the door to a new way of choosing how to evaluate contractors’ proposals, and because the source selection technique would be in a statute, agencies could slowly shift toward that approach. Read More »