The Office of Management and Budget plans to direct agencies to follow a specific schedule when buying technology that tracks agency IT spend, according to an updated Request for Information posted by the General Services Administration on FedBizOpps Aug. 5. In addition, a support system is being established to streamline the process.
Under the plan, when agencies buy technology business management (TBM) tools and services, which help agencies track IT spending down to a lower levels, agencies are directed to use GSA IT Schedule 70. This schedule shortens the procurement cycle and ensures vendor compliance with laws and regulations.
According to the CIO Council’s website, TBM allows “organizations to disaggregate IT spending into smaller, consistent categories to provide CIOs and other C-suite executives with a more accurate and detailed understanding of their organization’s IT costs." The visibility TBM will provide is a significant part of goal 10 of the Presidential Management Agenda’s cross-agency priority goals, which look to bring more transparency to federal IT spending.
OMB and GSA are also partnering to create the TBM Task Order Review Board (TORB).
“The TORB will support agencies through a streamlined acquisition process, providing TBM expertise, guidance and draft documents to expedite the procurement process, as well as materials to help agencies assess their TBM needs, design their implementation process, and execute their TBM implementation plans,” GSA wrote in the RFI.
Agencies will be required to use the TORB when acquiring TBM. The agenda looks to implement TBM across the government by 2022.
TBM technology, the GSA wrote in an Aug. 8 post, allows agencies to:
- Improve business, financial, and acquisition outcomes;
- Make data-driven decisions, and analyze trade-offs between cost, quality, and value of IT investments; and
- Benchmark IT solutions across federal agencies, and with other public and private sector organizations.
The updated RFI is based on a June 2018 RFI that asked industry how government could “efficiently aggregate and analyze” data across agencies. The new RFI says that GSA learned that the government needs a “flexible” and “scalable” solution, the importance of change management services and employee training, as well as emerging technologies like machine learning.
The updated RFI asks industry to:
- Identify the TBM tool you offer, and describe the government contract vehicles on which it is currently available;
- Specify your current FedRAMP certification status (certified, in process, or considering certification); and
- Identify your company’s business size classification; if small business, identify socioeconomic status.
Responses are due Aug. 23.
Andrew Eversden covers all things defense technology for C4ISRNET. He previously reported on federal IT and cybersecurity for Federal Times and Fifth Domain, and worked as a congressional reporting fellow for the Texas Tribune. He was also a Washington intern for the Durango Herald. Andrew is a graduate of American University.
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