FY 2006 Report to Congress on 

Implementation of 

The E-Government Act of 2002 

March 1, 2007 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Introduction...............................................................................................................................3 

Section I: Compliance with Specific Goals and Provisions of the Act...............................5 

Section II: Highlights of Individual Agency Internal E-Government Activities................19 

 

 Department of Commerce....................................................19 

 Department of Defense.......................................................19 

 Department of Education.....................................................20 

 Department of Energy.........................................................20 

 Department of Homeland Security..........................................21 

 Department of Health and Human Services................................21 

 Department of Housing and Urban Development.........................22 

 Department of the Interior....................................................22 

 Department of Justice.........................................................23 

 Department of Labor..........................................................24 

 Department of Transportation................................................24 

 Department of Treasury.......................................................25 

 Department of State............................................................25 

 Department of Veterans Affairs..............................................26 

 Environmental Protection Agency...........................................26 

 General Services Administration..............................................27 

 National Aeronautics and Space Administration...........................28 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission.............................................28 

 National Science Foundation..................................................29 

 Office of Management and Budget..........................................29 

 Office of Personnel Management.............................................30 

 Small Business Administration.................................................30 

 Social Security Administration...............................................31 

 U.S. Agency for International Development................................31 

 U.S. Department of Agriculture..............................................32 

Section III: Operations of the E-Government Fund.............................................................33 

Section IV: Listing of Reports and Policies Used in This Report...............................36 

2
INTRODUCTION 

The Federal Government is the largest single producer, collector, consumer, and disseminator of 

information in the United States. In fiscal year 2006, the Federal Government continued to use 

industry leading information technology to more effectively manage and deliver government 

information and services. As a result, Federal programs operate more transparently and 

effectively. Greater access to government information benefits our country by sustaining an 

informed citizenry, aiding government decision makers, and supporting our economy - 

fundamental to a healthy democracy. 

The Administration’s electronic government (E-Government) promotes increased access to 

government information, improves services to the citizen with efficient and effective Federal 

programs, and helps agencies achieve their goals. E-Government helps agencies share 

information between Federal agencies, States, and local and Tribal governments to monitor the 

performance and results of Federal programs. 

The cost-effective use of information technology to provide consistent access to and 

dissemination of government information is essential to promote a more citizen-centered 

government. Agencies manage web-based technologies to help citizens obtain government 

information and services. In addition, agencies use information technology to communicate 

with the public and gather feedback to determine whether Federal programs are achieving results 

and meeting user needs. 

To ensure agencies apply E-Government principles and utilize information technology to the 

fullest potential, agencies measure results to verify progress and planned performance 

improvement. As a result, agencies better manage their information resources including their 

investments in information technology. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) works 

with agencies to systematically track and measure whether resources used by programs help 

achieve intended goals through the President’s Management Agenda Scorecard each quarter. 

As described throughout this report, Federal agencies are improving the dissemination of and 

access to government information for the public. Agency E-Government initiatives described in 

this report promote greater access to government information and are supported by enduring 

processes completed by agencies to effectively disseminate government information. 

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ABOUT THIS REPORT 

This is OMB’s fourth annual progress report on implementation of the E-Government Act of 

2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-347) (the “E-Government Act”) as required by Section 3606 of title 44, 

United States Code. This report describes activities completed in fiscal year 2006, and is among 

a series of reports produced by OMB to describe the Administration’s use of E-Government 

principles to improve government performance and the delivery of information and services to 

the public. 

Most prominent among these other reports are: 

1. Chapter 9 of the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget of the U.S. Government describing 

how agencies are integrating information technology to enhance services;1

2. The December 2006 report, “Expanding E-Government: Making a Difference for the 

American People Using Information Technology,” highlighting E-Government 

accomplishments and setting goals;2

3. The 2007 “Report to Congress on the Benefits of the E-Government Initiatives,” 

describing the economic value of multi-agency and cross-government E-Government 

activities;3 and 

4. OMB’s FY 2006 report, “Federal Information Security Management Act,” describing 

agency privacy programs, including compliance with section 208 of the E-Government 

Act of 2002.4 

This report comprises four sections. Section I describes the government’s efforts over the past 

year to implement certain technical requirements of the E-Government Act and also describes 

related activities complementing specific requirements and objectives of the Act. Section II 

includes examples of internal agency E-Government activities. Section III details use of the EGovernment Fund established by Section 3604 of the E-Government Act. Section IV provides 

links to all reports or policies referenced in this report. 

This report, other reports referenced here, and OMB’s prior reports on implementation of the EGovernment Act (i.e., for fiscal years 2003 through 2005) are available on OMB’s website and 

have been provided to the Government Printing Office for distribution to Federal Depository 

Libraries.5 The reader is encouraged to refer to all of them for a complete picture of past, 

current, and planned Administration efforts. 

 

1

 Chapter 9 of the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget of the U.S. Government can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/apers.html. 2

 This report can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/documents/expanding_egov_2006.pdf. 3

 Information on compliance with Section 206 of the E-Government Act can be found in this report. This report can 

be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/g-10-Section_841.html. 4

 This report can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/infopoltech.html. 5

 Information on compliance with Sections 203, 210, 211, and 215 of the E-Government Act can be found in prior 

reports at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/infopoltech.html. 

4
SECTION I: COMPLIANCE WITH SPECIFIC GOALS AND 

PROVISIONS OF THE ACT 

Improving Public Access to Government Information 

Government information is information created, collected, processed, disseminated, or disposed 

of both by or for the Federal Government, and is an agency and public resource which has both 

value and associated costs. The magnitude of government information and breadth of the 

Federal Government’s program activities requires agencies to strategically manage their 

information resources. Information resources management is a practice used by agencies to 

achieve their missions and program goals. 

Programs designed to disseminate and provide the public access to government information are 

fundamental to sound information resources management and essential for agencies to meet their 

program goals. The Federal Government continues to improve the methods by which 

government information is disseminated and made available to the public. Use of up-to-date 

technical methodologies, Federal agency public websites, consultation with the public, and 

effective Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) operations not only improve access to and 

dissemination of government information, they help agencies to maximize the usefulness of the 

information while minimizing the costs for the American taxpayer. 

Helping the Public Locate Government Information 

Federal agency public websites and portals are valuable information dissemination products 

promoting a more citizen-centered government. These sites provide access to government 

information and are a means for delivering services to and communicating with the public. 

Federal agency public websites not only increase access to government information and services, 

they also allow citizens to participate and become more involved in their government. 

OMB Memorandum M-06-02, “Improving Public Access to and Dissemination of Government 

Information and Using the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference Model,” promotes 

greater access to government information through active dissemination and identifies procedures 

to organize and categorize information and make it searchable across agencies.6

 Agencies 

continue to apply this policy in order to improve the public’s access to government information. 

To meet this requirement, agencies updated and published their information resources 

management strategic plans describing how their information resources activities help 

accomplish the agency’s mission.7

 Agency plans also describe how the respective agency 

ensures the activities are integrated with organizational planning, budget, procurement, financial 

management, human resources management and program decisions. 

Agencies continue to make progress to assist the public in locating government information by 

publishing their information directly to the Internet. This procedure makes government 

 

6

 OMB Memorandum M-06-02 can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2006/m06-02.pdf. 7

 A link to each agency’s strategic plan can be found in the individual agency E-Government Act Report. The links 

to these reports can be found in Section II of this report. 

5
information freely available to increasingly sophisticated search engines so the public can 

quickly search and retrieve requested information. Agencies also communicate directly with the 

public to understand their needs and obtain feedback about the quality of their Federal agency 

public websites. Several agencies have used this feedback to redesign their agency’s public 

website and make it a more effective and accessible information dissemination product. 

The Federal Internet Portal

As the official portal to government information, USA.gov provides a centralized location where 

the public can locate government information and services.8 Among many other features, 

USA.gov provides effective search functions, a site index and site maps, a link to agency 

inventories, schedules and priorities of government information, and active dissemination 

through up-to-date technologies including Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. 

GobineroUSA.gov continues to provide links to Spanish-language government information 

resources. In 2006, USA.gov’s search functions were expanded to include authoritative news 

and image searches of government information. USA.gov will complete an online tutorial of its 

search functions in April 2007 to complement its services and further aid the public in locating 

government information.9

 

USA.gov and the President's USA Services E-Government Initiative established call centers 

and created a website of information to support the Department of Veterans Affairs and United 

States Department of Agriculture's responses to breaches of personally identifiable 

information.10 Veterans and other citizens were able to call the centers and access the website to 

learn more about the breach incidents, who to contact, and the steps to mitigate and prevent 

future breaches. 

USA.gov also sponsors an interagency "web content" working group. The working group 

regularly conducts training for Federal employees, including tips for agencies for making agency 

websites more effective and relevant to popular search engines (e.g., Google, MSN, Yahoo). 

Additionally, a web content working group maintains Webcontent.gov, conducts interagency 

meetings to assist agencies in managing their websites, and exchanges best practices among 

other agencies. 

Executive Order 13392, “Improving Agency Disclosure of Information” 

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, as amended, remains a longstanding 

means by which the public can access government information. Executive Order 13392, 

“Improving Agency Disclosure of Information,” established a citizen-centered and resultsoriented framework for agencies to improve their FOIA operations.11 The Executive Order 

required agencies to designate a chief FOIA officer and FOIA public liaison, establish FOIA 

 

8

 This paragraph includes information on compliance with Section 204 of the E-Government Act. 

9

 Completion of the tutorial addresses a requirement of Section 213 of the E-Government Act. 

10 The website can be found at: http://www.firstgov.gov/dataincidents.shtml. 11 The text of Executive Order 13392 can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051214-4.html. 

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requester service centers, conduct a review of FOIA operations, and create FOIA improvement 

plans. These measures are designed to make FOIA operations more results oriented.12 

On June 14, 2006, agencies completed reports summarizing their reviews of FOIA operations 

and provided their agency’s FOIA improvement plan.13 Agencies continue to work with the 

Department of Justice (DOJ) and OMB to successfully implement their FOIA improvement 

plans, and on October 16, 2006, the Attorney General reported to the President on FOIA 

implementation including Executive Order 13392.14

Agencies reported the use of up-to-date information technology and proactive disclosure of 

information prior to receipt of a FOIA request as two promising practices for improving access 

to requested records and disseminating information more quickly, resulting in more costeffective FOIA operations. For example: 

• The Small Business Administration implemented an information technology application 

to automate requests, track and locate requested records, and disseminate records to 

requesters and the public; 

• The Department of Labor is developing procedures for identifying and proactively 

disclosing information; and 

• The Department of Defense is redesigning and standardizing agency websites to make it 

easier for the public to access information. 

Financial Accountability and Transparency 

On September 26, 2006, the President signed the Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-282, to improve the quality and accessibility of 

information about Federal spending.15 The Act requires OMB to oversee development of a 

website through which the public can readily access information about grants and contracts 

provided by Federal government agencies.16 Development of this website will complement other 

websites currently providing the public Federal program performance information (e.g., 

USA.gov, Results.gov and ExpectMore.gov). 

The Federal government currently has some information on Federal expenditures available 

through various databases and reports, including the Federal Procurement Data System, the 

Federal Assistance Awards Data System, and the Consolidated Federal Funds Report system. 

OMB is working with agencies through an interagency task force to ensure the milestones for 

developing and maintaining the site are achieved in accordance with plans and statute. 

 

12 See Section 1(c) of EO 13392. 

13 A listing of all agency FOIA improvement plans can be found at: 

http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/agency_improvement.html. 14 The Attorney General’s Report to the President pursuant to Executive Order 13392 can be found at: 

http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/ag_report_to_president_13392.pdf. 15 The text of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act can be found at: 

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ282.109.pdf. 16 More information on the development of this website can be found at: http://www.federalspending.gov. 

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Organizations Complementing Federal Agency Information Dissemination Programs 

Agencies take advantage of many channels to effectively disseminate their information to the 

public, including Federal and nonfederal governments, libraries and the private sector.17 By 

taking advantage of the skills and resources of these entities, agencies provide the public with 

multiple sources for accessing information and manage their information resources in a more 

cost-effective manner. In addition, agency partnerships with other dissemination entities 

increase public access to government information through the increased availability of 

information technology products and services. 

There are many dissemination channels available for agencies including popular commercial 

search engines (e.g., MSN, Google, and Yahoo search engine services), USA.gov, and many 

others.18 Community technology centers, public libraries, research rooms at the National 

Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and Federal Depository Libraries managed by 

the Government Printing Office increase public access to government information through 

complementing existing agency dissemination programs. The information technology resources 

of these organizations combined with the assistance of organization staff and volunteers provide 

increased access to government information. 

Agencies are establishing innovative partnerships with nonprofit and private sector dissemination 

entities to improve access to and dissemination of government information. For example: 

• NARA recently announced an agreement with iArchives (see: www.iarchives.com) to digitize 

and provide access to selected records; 

• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in discussion with several 

private organizations to digitize and make available to the public their information holdings; 

and 

• The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, a part of the Department of Health and 

Human Services, partnered with Walgreen’s and public libraries to produce, distribute and 

help the public understand information about the Medicare Prescription Drug Card. 

OMB continues to encourage strategic partnerships, including those mentioned above, to support 

the principles of E-Government by maximizing the usefulness of government information while 

minimizing the cost to agencies and the public. 

Public Access to Electronic Federal Records 

The Federal Government is creating and collecting information faster today than ever before. As 

a result, agencies are working to capture enormous quantities of records and ensure they are 

accessible for future use by agencies and the public. Effective management of government 

records ensures adequate documentation of the policies and transactions of the Federal 

Government, allows the Federal Government to review and improve its programs, and helps the 

 

17 This section includes information on compliance with Section 213 of the E-Government Act. 

18 To learn more about organizations complementing Federal information dissemination, see: OMB’s April 15, 2005 

report, “Organizations Complementing Federal Agency Information Dissemination Programs.” The report can be 

found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/section_213_report_04-2005.pdf. 

8
public obtain information about Federal programs and activities. To achieve these benefits, 

agencies systematically manage all their records regardless of form and medium (e.g., paper and 

electronic form) throughout the information life cycle. 

To promote more effective records management, NARA issued “Guidance for Implementing 

Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act of 2002.”19 NARA’s guidance highlights agency 

responsibilities to identify and schedule their electronic records and to transfer to NARA 

electronic records requiring permanent retention. Agency responsibilities for identifying and 

scheduling electronic records can be separated into two categories: developing records schedules 

for all records in existing electronic information systems and establishing procedures for 

addressing records management requirements, including recordkeeping requirements and 

disposition, before approving new electronic information systems or enhancements to existing 

systems. Additionally, OMB requires agencies to document and verify whether records 

produced by each major information technology investment are appropriately scheduled with 

NARA’s approval as part of their capital planning and investment control.20

In their 2006 E-Government Act Reports, agencies were instructed to describe how they were 

fulfilling their responsibilities under Section 207(e) using NARA’s guidance. All 24 Chief 

Financial Officer Act agencies are working to implement NARA’s guidance and many agencies 

are actively engaged with NARA to prioritize existing systems and schedule records. 

OMB and NARA continue to work with agencies fulfilling their responsibilities under Section 

207(e) using NARA’s December 2005 guidance and other applicable records management 

policies. Through upcoming meetings, NARA will discuss agency records-scheduling goals and 

progress and agency use of the resource allocation tool to prioritize this work. In addition, 

NARA will sponsor a forum in 2007 to highlight the importance of a collaborative relationship 

between an agency Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the agency’s Records Officers. In 

addition, agencies are using guidance documents to help them comply with other existing records 

management responsibilities highlighted by NARA’s December 2005 guidance. For example, 

agencies are using the Records Management Profile, included in the Federal Enterprise 

Architecture, to incorporate statutory records management requirements and sound records 

management principles into agency work processes and information systems.21 

Access to Federally Funded Research and Development 

Dissemination of and access to information about federally funded research and development 

(R&D) stimulates the exchange of new scientific information and technologies, and provides 

opportunities for understanding and applying knowledge towards the production of useful 

materials.22 Federal agency R&D activities are an essential component of many agency missions 

resulting in a broad variety of federally funded R&D. 

 

19 NARA’s Guidance for Implementing Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act of 2002,” can be found at: 

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2006/2006-02.html. 20 OMB Circular A-11, Section 300 can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a11/current_year/s300.pdf. 21 The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Records Management Profile, version 1.0 can be found at: 

http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/rm-profile.html. 22 This section includes information on compliance with Section 207 of the E-Government Act. 

9
Many Federal agency public websites disseminate and provide access to Federal R&D 

information, and as a result, agencies can better: 

• coordinate Federal R&D activities; 

• collaborate among those agencies conducting R&D; 

• transfer technology among Federal agencies and the public; and 

• access information about R&D activities. 

As reported in previous E-Government Act reports, the Federal Government currently funds two 

primary research and development information repositories: RaDiUS (https://radius.rand.org) 

and Science.gov. RaDiUS provides the public and agencies with information about federally 

funded R&D activities. Science.gov provides links to science websites and scientific databases 

so citizens can access the results of Federal research. 

Most Federal agencies are supplying information or are otherwise represented in RaDiUS. In 

addition, more than 12 Federal agencies contribute to Science.gov. Some agencies, such as 

NASA, provide greater access to R&D information by directly linking their R&D databases to 

Science.gov. 

Agencies reported on their use of RaDiUS and Science.gov as part of this year’s annual agency 

E-Government Act reports. Several agencies link individual agency sources of R&D 

information to the Government-wide repositories. 

To increase public access to R&D information, agencies disseminate information through 

multiple channels, including public libraries and their own Federal agency public website. Other 

examples include: 

 The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

disseminates R&D information from satellite imagery at: 

http://www.orbit.nesdis.noaa.gov; 

 The Department of Defense’s Research and Engineering component operates a 

centralized public web portal for public access to R&D information at: 

https://rdte.osd.mil; 

 The Department of Education disseminates R&D information, including the results of 

research and statistics at: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/landing.jhtml; 

 The Department of Energy’s Project Summary Database is a searchable database of 

ongoing R&D projects at: http://www.osti.gov/fedrnd/; 

 The Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Inventory is a searchable, agency-wide 

catalog of more than 900 science activities at: http://www.epa.gov/si; 

 The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Technical Report Server 

disseminates R&D information about current and historical technical literature at: 

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp; 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission disseminates the results of R&D reports at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/; 

 The National Science Foundation provides information on R&D awards at: 

http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/; and 

10
 The Small Business Administration’s TECH-Net website disseminates technical 

information about and for small businesses at: http://tech-net.sba.gov/index.cfm. 

Ensuring Accessibility to Government Information and Information Technology for People 

with Disabilities 

Agencies must disseminate information on equitable and timely terms, regardless of the type, 

medium and technology, to all members of the public including those with disabilities. The steps 

agencies take in the development, procurement, maintenance and use of electronic information 

and information technology help ensure members of the public with disabilities have access to 

government information. 

The General Services Administration (GSA) and the Access Board provide technical assistance 

to agencies in support of their implementation of requirements of Section 508 of the 

Rehabilitation Act (Section 508). GSA supports an array of web-based resources including 

online training, acquisition tools to ensure compliance with Section 508 in information 

technology procurement actions, and support of the Federal agency network of Section 508 

coordinators.23 Adoption of the acquisition tools by Federal agencies as well as vendors 

continues to increase. 

 

Common Protocols for Geographic Information Systems 

Federal programs and services rely upon geospatial data to provide services to the public, 

industry, academia, the scientific community, as well as State and local governments.24 To assist 

agencies in effectively managing geospatial information, including improved access by the 

public and sharing between agencies, interagency working groups are developing and using 

geospatial data standards. 

 

To implement the strategy, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) established a 

“Future Directions” governance team to develop recommendations for better management of 

technologies, policies, and people necessary to promote sharing of geospatial data throughout all 

levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and the academic community. The team 

included representatives from Federal, State, and local governments; from the private and nonprofit sectors; and from academia and provided recommendations to enhance the role and 

function of the FGDC and improve management of Federal geospatial programs.25

There are two efforts underway to address these recommendations: 

1. In February 2006, OMB launched a Federal interagency Geospatial Line of Business 

initiative, managed by the Department of the Interior, to better coordinate Federal 

acquisition, use, sharing, and interoperability of geospatial information. The initiative 

 

23Additional information and services for agencies can be found at: http://www.section508.gov. 24 This section includes information on compliance with Section 216 of the E-Government Act. 

25 The FGDC Report “Future Directions – Governance of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure,” can be found at: 

http://www.fgdc.gov/policyandplanning/future-directions/action-plans/Final%20Draft%20FDGOV%20Report%205-31-05.doc. 

11
will help ensure sustained participation from Federal partners and establish a model for 

collaborating on geospatial activities and investments.26 As a result, the Federal 

Government’s investment in geospatial resources will cost-effectively improve service to 

citizens. 

Twenty-six Federal agencies participate in this interagency task force and developed a 

business case and investment strategy.27 

2. On March 3, 2006 OMB issued Memorandum M-06-07, to increase coordination of 

buying and maintaining geospatial investments and to increase accountability with regard 

to agency geospatial information issues.28 By April 2006, agencies designated a Senior 

Agency Official to oversee, coordinate, and facilitate the agencies’ implementation of 

geospatial-related requirements, policies and activities. In addition, the Senior Agency 

Official for Geospatial Information serves on the FGDC Steering Committee as part of 

the Official’s role in providing effective interagency management of geospatial programs. 

An annual report published by the FGDC identifies key accomplishments and planned 

milestones to coordinate nationally the development, use, sharing, and dissemination of 

geospatial data.

29 To ensure agencies initiatives increase access to geospatial information and 

effectively invest in geospatial resources, the planned milestones coordinate with existing EGovernment initiatives including Geospatial One-Stop and the Geospatial Line of Business.30 

Information Technology Workforce Development 

Despite rapid advances in the sophistication and use of information technology, improved 

program performance is first and foremost driven by the Federal employees who manage them. 

Qualified project managers and an information technology workforce with the necessary skills 

and competencies help to ensure projects are well planned and managed. In 2005, agencies 

submitted plans to OMB for closing skill and competency gaps in the information technology 

workforce, and progress against these plans is measured by the President’s Management Agenda 

(PMA) Human Capital Scorecard.31 

Of the 26 PMA Scorecard agencies, 17 have met all milestones to address skill and competency 

gaps identified in their agency plans and ensure their information technology workforce is fully 

trained and qualified. Additionally, 15 agencies have met their information technology hiring 

targets to fill critical positions for improving programs and service delivery. 

 

26 Additional information on the Geospatial Line of Business can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/c-6-8-glob.html. 27 The business cases for the Geospatial Line of Business can be found at: 

http://www.doi.gov/foia/2007/by08_it_portfolio.pdf. 28 OMB Memorandum M-06-07, “Designation of a Senior Agency Official for Geospatial Information,” can be 

found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2006/m06-07.pdf. 29 The FGDC 2005 Annual Report can be found at: http://www.fgdc.gov/fgdc-news/2005-annual-report. 30 The Geospatial OneStop initiative promotes interagency partnerships and a single point of access to map-related 

data found at: http://www.geodata.gov. 31 This section includes information on compliance with Section 209 of the E-Government Act. 

12
The table below provides a summary of agency progress toward hiring goals. 

Job Area 

Fiscal year 2006 – Total Number 

of Current Positions* 

Number of Vacant Positions 

Agencies Planned to Fill by the 

End of Fiscal year 2006

Project Management 4,619 600 

Security 9,030 488 

Architecture 2,111 328 

Total 15, 760 1,416 

*As of date agencies reported to OMB

Agencies have also made progress in assigning qualified project managers to major information 

technology investments. As reported by agencies on their fiscal year 2008 Exhibit 53 

submissions, 83 percent of major information technology investments have qualified project 

managers, an increase from approximately 70 percent in agency fiscal year 2007 submissions. 

Agencies are completing and OPM is reviewing a new information technology Workforce 

Assessment Survey to collect information from Federal information technology professionals 

about the types of work they perform, as well as their level of proficiency in competencies and 

skills. The survey identifies top training needs, gathers information on the types of certifications 

owned by employees, and provides key demographic data. Using the survey results, agencies 

will prepare a gap analysis report and improvement plan to establish targets for closing 

information technology competency and skill gaps and outline specific strategies for addressing 

the identified gaps. OMB will be working with OPM and agencies to review the survey results 

and the agency plans to address identified gaps. 

To develop, supplement, and modernize Federal agency information technology workforce 

skills, the E-Government Act authorized the Information Technology Exchange Program. The 

program allows members of the Federal information technology workforce to work in the private 

sector and conversely allows individuals from the private sector to bring their skills to the 

Federal information technology workforce. To help agencies implement the program, OPM 

finalized regulations and posted guidance for agencies to use when participating.32 Agencies 

continue to work with OPM and three agencies have approved plans to participate in the 

program. To further promote the program and share best practices, OPM conducts weekly 

teleconferences, which are open to all agencies, in conjunction with the CIO Council’s 

Workforce Committee and the Industry Advisory Council. In addition, OPM uses USAJobs 

to share information about exchange opportunities for the private sector.33 

Integrating Reporting and Pilot Projects

To improve the quality, ease-of-use and response time of government services for citizens, 

unique agency programs, processes, and systems must become more integrated and 

interoperable. Agencies use the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) to help identify 

relationships between business and management processes and information technology systems 

 

32 The OPM Information Technology Exchange Program guidance can be found at: 

http://www.opm.gov/leader/hrd/lead/itep/overview.asp. 33 The USAJobs website can be found at: http://www.usajobs.gov/. 

13
and to define common, cross-agency functions.34 As a result, agency enterprise architectures 

serve as a common frame of reference to leverage and consolidate information resources and 

invest more efficiently to make programs more effective.35 

OMB, in conjunction with the CIO Council, recently created the Federal Transition Framework 

to assist agencies seeking or adopting Government-wide solutions. The Framework is a single 

source for clear and consistent information describing Government-wide information technology 

policy objectives and cross-agency initiatives, such as the Lines of Business initiatives.36 

Agencies use information published in this catalog to increase: 

• alignment of agency enterprise architecture with Federal information technology policy 

decisions and other strategic objectives; 

• exchange and reuse of common, cross-agency business processes and information 

resources; and 

• collaboration through agency participation in cross-agency communities of practice. 

By utilizing the Framework, agencies will receive more consistent, complete, and detailed 

information about cross-agency initiatives resulting in improved service delivery to citizens and 

cost savings. 

OMB continues to work with agencies to assess and improve their agency enterprise 

architectures. Last year, OMB assessed 22 agency enterprise architectures as effective as part of 

the President’s Expanded E-Government Scorecard. These architectures adequately described 

agency missions and the resources needed to achieve them. This year, OMB will again assess 

the completion of agency enterprise architectures, and also assess how effectively agencies use 

and apply them to improve capital planning and deliver results. 

Use of Information Technology to Enhance Crisis Management 

Federal agencies use information technology to improve the coordination and dissemination of 

disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information. OMB, in consultation with the 

Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 

is completing a study on using information technology to enhance crisis preparedness and 

response to natural and manmade disasters. The Computer Science and Telecommunications 

Board Committee of the National Academy of Sciences is aiding in this effort. 

The report based upon the study is divided into two phases. The first phase of the study, as 

reported in last year’s E-Government Act report, included a workshop held in June, 2005 

attended by over 75 practitioners representing Federal, State, local, and tribal officials, disaster 

management experts, and information technology researchers. The workshop covered three 

major topic areas: 

 

34 This section includes information on compliance with Section 212 of the E-Government Act. 

35The FEA is described in more detail at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/a-1-fea.html. 36The Federal Transition Framework is described in more detail at: http://www.egov.gov/ftf. 

14
• The critical and evolving role of information technology in disaster management; 

• Research directions for information technology in disaster management; and 

• Collaboration, coordination, and interoperability: pressing issues in a need-to-share 

world. 

The workshop emphasized the critical dependence first responders place upon wireless 

communication systems during an emergency and the need to enhance interoperability among 

existing and future wireless communications systems. Participants identified fundamental 

constraints to wireless communication, significant unsolved problems, and a number of areas for 

ongoing research.37 

The National Research Council supplemented the first phase of the study by organizing 

additional workshops, site visits, and briefings to support the final report. A workshop held in 

May 2006, to discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, covered five major topic areas: 

• Findings of the 9/11 Commission related to public safety communications; 

• Information technology and emergency management at the State level; 

• Lessons from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters for the use of information technology 

in disaster management; 

• Building an asset database for disaster management; public/private partnership with local 

government; and 

• Current developments in public safety communications. 

 

The final report provides findings and recommendations to effectively use information 

technology for crisis management, research and development needs and opportunities, and 

related research management and technology transition considerations. 

Furthermore, two Presidential E-Government initiatives, Disaster Management and SAFECOM 

are developing standards to improve information sharing and communications for the nation’s 

public safety community. Both of these initiatives are led by DHS, are supported by other 

Federal agencies with responsibilities in this area, and partner with State, local, and Tribal 

organizations. 

Disaster Management Initiative

The Disaster Management initiative continues to provide an interoperable disaster management 

tool to assist first responders, interoperability standards to share emergency response information 

between responders using different software or systems, and one-stop access for citizens to 

Federal disaster management-related information through the DisasterHelp.gov portal. 

DisasterHelp.gov provides a central point of access to disaster related information and the ability 

to seamlessly and securely share incident information across the nation's emergency response 

community. The site serves 68,000 registered users and saw considerable increases in visitors 

before, during, and after the last three major hurricanes. The site offers a toolset to assist first 

 

37 A summary of the workshop can be found at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_fema_workshop.html. 

15
responders and other public safety organizations in preparing for and responding to a disaster and 

has been used in 232 national disaster incidents and 1061 training exercises. 

SAFECOM Initiative

Public safety officials rely upon wireless communications to obtain and disseminate information 

when responding to emergencies. SAFECOM is a communications program providing research, 

development, testing, evaluation, guidance, and assistance for local, Tribal, State, and Federal 

public safety agencies. These services create more effective and efficient interoperable wireless 

communications, and as a result improve public safety response. 

SAFECOM is working with existing Federal communications initiatives and key public safety 

stakeholders to develop better technologies and processes for the cross-jurisdictional and crossdisciplinary coordination of existing systems and future networks. The scope of this community 

is broad; the customer base includes over 50,000 local and State public safety agencies and 

organizations and over 100 Federal agencies are engaged in public safety disciplines, including 

law enforcement, firefighting, public health, and disaster recovery. 

To address the most urgent interoperability needs, SAFECOM is working with its Federal 

partners to develop and implement a national strategy to ensure all public safety agencies have 

the necessary tools and resources to meet the immediate demands for interoperability when 

responding to an emergency. SAFECOM also assists agencies to support transition from their 

existing communications capabilities to more effective and interoperable systems. 

The initiative continues to: 

1. Develop Guidelines and Criteria for Public Safety Communications Systems; 

In April 2006, SAFECOM released an updated version of future industry requirements to 

further define user requirements for development. Industry will in turn use these 

requirements to develop equipment meeting public safety and Federal user needs. In 

August 2006, SAFECOM released a second volume of the requirements for the most 

important applications identified by the public safety community: mission-critical voice, 

and emerging technologies for tactical video. Volume II also helps industry develop 

equipment meeting the new public safety requirements.38 

2. Coordinate Testing and Evaluation Processes for Interoperability Products;

The testing and evaluation working group, which is composed of members of the public 

safety community, continues to ensure methodologies for testing and evaluating 

interoperability products are technically sound and comparable across testing 

laboratories. These efforts verify whether public safety standards improve the 

effectiveness of radios used by emergency responders. SAFECOM is developing a 

conformance testing program in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and 

 

38 The SAFECOM Statement of Requirements Volumes I and II can be found at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/technology/1258_statementof.htm. 

16
Technology (NIST) to ensure equipment really does meet the new standards. NIST, in 

cooperation with technical representatives from the Institute for Telecommunication 

Sciences and industry representatives, has established a framework for the program and is 

moving into the first stage of testing. The safety of emergency responders will be 

enhanced when industry’s claims of standards compliance can be measured objectively 

and independently. This initiative will also ensure Federal grant dollars are being used 

appropriately to purchase truly standards compliant equipment. 

3. Standardize Public Safety Communications Equipment with Grant Guidance;

SAFECOM continues to provide grant guidance for public safety interoperability 

equipment grants administered and awarded by DHS and DOJ to local, Tribal, and State 

organizations. The grant guidance ensures consistency in public safety communications 

grant solicitations, maximizes the allocation and use of grants, and helps create 

interoperable systems. The grant guidance lists planning requirements grant recipients 

must follow prior to procuring equipment bought using federal funds. It also provides 

specific questions to be addressed in grant applications to ensure potential recipients of 

federal funds have thoroughly assessed how their money will improve interoperability. 

4. Coordinate Communications Spectrum Policy; and 

The radio spectrum is a finite resource shared by public safety, radio broadcasters, 

government users, and other commercial and private consumers and coordination of its 

use is critical to ensuring interoperability. Overcrowding due to high demand can cause 

delays or disruption of public safety communications. SAFECOM continues to assess 

the public safety spectrum to achieve the President’s national spectrum management 

initiative for addressing this critical spectrum need. 

5. Coordinate Communications Planning.

SAFECOM continues to work with States as they develop statewide emergency 

communications plans. The plans are used by States to prepare and effectively respond 

to emergencies. The “Statewide Communications Interoperability Planning 

Methodology,” is the model States use to integrate practitioner input in developing 

statewide strategic plans.39 In May 2006, SAFECOM reported the result of the Regional 

Communications Interoperability Pilots in Nevada and Kentucky to Congress, and 

SAFECOM continues to help Nevada and Kentucky to implement the methodology.40 

The Policy Academies of the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices 

also use this methodology to help improve statewide interoperable communications in 

Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, and Wisconsin. These states now have an emergency 

 

39 The planning methodology can be found at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/interoperabilitycasestudies/1223_statewidecommunications.ht

m. 40 The report can be found at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/interoperabilitycasestudies/1277_finalreport.htm. 

17
response plan based on a locally-driven, bottom-up approach to planning for improving 

communications systems. 

18
SECTION II: HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL AGENCY INTERNAL EGOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES 

This section of the report summarizes and highlights agency specific E-Government activities. 

More detailed information and links to the agency’s IRM Strategic Plan and FOIA Improvement 

Plan are located in each agency’s E-Government Act Report. 

Department of Commerce 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.osec.doc.gov/cio/oipr/egov_report_fy06.html. 

The Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) transforms the way users of the Global Positioning 

System (GPS) obtain highly accurate geographic coordinates and elevations for locations of 

interest to them.41 The system allows users, such as professional surveyors, to submit their GPS 

observations electronically via the Internet to the Department’s National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where these data are processed to determine 

corresponding three-dimensional positional coordinates. Construction, transportation, and 

mapping industries have reduced surveying costs by an estimated $270 million by using the 

system. 

Use of the system has grown from 1,000 data submissions per month in 2002, to over 13,000 per 

month in 2006. User forums and workshops to obtain feedback are held regularly across the 

country. Extensive interaction, between NOAA and system users, takes place during these 

sessions. NOAA is currently identifying and surveying representatives from individual counties 

to ensure their diverse needs are being met. Additionally, users can complete an online survey to 

provide NOAA comments and suggestions on how to improve the system and related positioning 

products and services. The success of the system relies on contributions of data from over 1,100 

ground-based GPS agencies, state and local government, universities, the private sector, foreign 

governments, and others who share the goal of making more accurate positioning available 

worldwide. Users without Internet access and those with disabilities can mail their GPS 

observations to NOAA on a compact disk and receive the results back on a prearranged basis. 

Department of Defense 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.dod.mil/cio-nii/docs/DoDFY2006EGovernmentReport.pdf. 

The Self Service Human Resource (SSHR) application is used by civilian Department of 

Defense (DoD) employees to better manage their human resources and fulfill organizational 

objectives. The application provides a single portal for viewing and updating personnel 

information, and promotes efficient and timely entry of personnel information. 

 

41 The OPUS System can be found at: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/OPUS/.

19
For example, the application helps users create staffing and performance plans, performance 

appraisals, and align human resources to needed work areas. Additionally, users can sign up for 

Federal benefits and request and track their annual and sick leave. Managers and supervisors use 

the system to manage all personnel resources, review training needs, conduct performance 

management planning, review records of employee accomplishments, and provide timely 

statistical reports as needed. The Department developed and maintains the system to ensure 

access to those with disabilities. 

Users also are able to measure progress to complete agency goals and objectives, and assess 

whether outcomes are meeting the mission needs of their agency. This improves the quality of 

employee performance appraisals and helps make them more meaningful, empowering 

employees to take ownership of their work. The application will also assist in defining the 

human resource strategy needed to help achieve the agency’s mission. 

Department of Education 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/egov/status06.html. 

The Department of Education uses two systems to enable Internet-based data transactions 

between States and the Department. The Education Data Exchange Network is used to 

consolidate and eliminate duplicative K-12 data collections across the Department, which in turn 

is analyzed by EDFacts to report K-12 education data. State and local education agencies, 

Council of Chief State School Officers, and other education groups depend on these systems to 

measure their progress and identify progress and student achievement. As part of the 

implementation process, project staff regularly meets with their external partners and Department 

Program Offices. 

These systems help the Department achieve two key policy priorities: collecting the best 

available data to determine the impact of funded interventions and helping educators use 

information from State data systems to improve student achievement. The Department estimates 

the elimination of other obsolete investments could save $74 million. In addition, the 

Department anticipates the K-12 programs, through improved decision making, can maximize 

the efficiency of Federal funds used by States to improve their education programs. 

In the very rare instances where data providers to these systems do not have Internet access, the 

Department allows paper-based data submissions for entry at a support center. In addition, both 

systems are compliant with accessibility standards to ensure accessibility to data for those who 

are disabled. 

Department of Energy 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://cio.energy.gov/documents/DOE_E-GovActReport102006Finalupdated.pdf. 

20
The Electronic DOE Integrated Security System (eDISS+) has reduced the time and costs 

associated with collection, processing, storing, and transfer of personnel security data for Federal 

staff and contractors. The system links agency data to clearance information throughout the 

Government. The Department of Energy (DOE) works closely with the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM) and other Federal agencies to use information technology to improve the 

overall Federal approach to clearance management. In support of the re-use of the system and its 

parts, the source code has been made fully available to other Federal agencies. 

This system supports more accurate and thorough clearance information through its connection 

to and process for error resolution with OPM’s clearance system. The system also demonstrates 

support of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act through increased efficiency. 

By centralizing the DOE personnel security system, it is estimated the Department will save or 

avoid $7.6M in costs related to the duplication of systems or infrastructure and reduced security 

threats. DOE also estimates the integration of the system with OPM’s electronic security form 

will save approximately $500,000 over three years. To ensure access for those with disabilities, 

all system components are designed, implemented, and tested to comply with Section 508 and to 

ensure maximum use of assistive technologies. 

Department of Homeland Security 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.dhs.gov/xfoia/editorial_0424.shtm.

The Rescue 21 project is an advanced command, control, and communications system used by 

the United States Coast Guard to improve response to distress calls and increase coordination 

with other Federal, State, and local agencies. The project gradually replaces older technologies 

no longer providing the level of service needed to effectively perform emergency response 

activities required by the Department. 

The project integrates regional Coast Guard command centers and stations with standardized 

hardware, software and supporting communications equipment, including radios, antennas, 

routers, and workstations. These technologies more accurately improve the clarity and source of 

distress calls to enable more effective emergency response activities. The project expands access 

to and dissemination of Coast Guard information broadcasts informing the public about routine 

and emergency safety procedures. As a result, the public, State and local agencies are better 

informed and prepared when operating around coastal areas. In addition, the project uses 

portable antenna towers to restore critical communications following a disaster. 

Department of Health and Human Services 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.hhs.gov/reference/HHSeGovAnnualReport2006.doc. 

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a national IHS initiative 

designed to improve health care for American Indian and Alaska Native people by reducing 

21
medical errors and making patients’ health information more accessible. The Electronic Health 

Record project adds value to the existing health information system by bringing electronic 

medical records to the point of patient care, even at remote clinics. 

Using the Electronic Health Record, providers electronically access a wide variety of patient 

health information such as lab results and medication lists. In use at approximately 70 clinics 

nationwide, visits are documented electronically, and complete, legible medical notes are 

immediately available to all authorized users. The system has helped IHS achieve substantive 

clinical and business improvements. 

The growth and success of the system and the Electronic Health Record are a result of long term 

partnerships IHS has maintained with Indian tribes and Tribal organizations, the Veterans Health 

Administration, and a number of private companies. The IHS plans to roll out the Electronic 

Health Record to the remainder of the Federal IHS system by the end of 2008, as well as to 

interested Tribal facilities. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.hud.gov/offices/cio/egov/egovrpt06.pdf

The Disaster Recovery Grants Reporting (DRGR) system was created to enhance local and 

national oversight of the Disaster Recovery assistance program of the Department of Housing 

and Urban Development (HUD). The system is web-based and Section 508 compliant and 

provides a paperless grant process, while ensuring access to government information in remote 

areas and to individuals with disabilities. The system improves HUD's management and internal 

controls resulting in improved accountability, service delivery, and customer service of HUD and 

our partners. 

Coordination with cities, counties, States, and Indian reservation grantees to develop the 

requirements and testing of the system have resulted in significant performance increases for 

HUD in the areas of productivity and efficiency. The percentage of grant recipients submitting 

quarterly performance reports via the Internet has increased to 90 percent. 

 

Additional improvements are planned for the system including an interface to HUD's financial 

system, which will improve efficiency by providing direct access to grantees for funding draw 

downs, enabling HUD to quickly respond to questions and inquiries from the grantees. The 

system will also be used by grantees to develop funding draw requests tied directly to activities 

managed by the grantee. These features will greatly improve customer service, make it easier for 

HUD to accomplish remote monitoring of a grantee’s performance, and improve grantee and 

HUD staff efficiency in reporting on use of funds and monitoring grantees by about 50 percent. 

Department of the Interior 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.doi.gov/e-government/. 

22
The Enterprise Services Network (ESN) provides the Department of the Interior with agencywide solutions and services as well as a high speed intranet integrating existing bureau networks 

into a centrally managed single network. The prior network environment was highly 

decentralized and resulted in duplicative investments in equipment, resources, and functionality. 

The second phase of the project was completed on September 30, 2006 and resulted in the 

reduction of major Internet connections and nearly $1 million in credits to the billing program. 

Interior has worked with several State governments on resource sharing of State-wide radio 

networks. During 2005, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) worked with the State of South 

Dakota to begin to transition its South Dakota radio users to the State-Wide radio network. As a 

result, BIA has dramatically increased coverage for its users and estimates $5 million in cost 

avoidance. Interior is working with four different border Tribal nations and other Federal 

agencies to increase interoperability and access to systems. 

ESN has met or exceeded key established performance measures and will continue to reduce 

duplicative services and systems throughout fiscal year 2007. 

Department of Justice 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/ocio/egovactreport2006.pdf. 

The Department of Justice Regional Data Exchange project allows Federal, State and local law 

enforcement agencies to share law enforcement information more effectively. The system brings 

together multiple Department sources of law enforcement information from across the country 

and provides the Department the ability to comprehensively search, retrieve, analyze, and share 

local law enforcement agencies’ information maintained by the Department. As a result, law 

enforcement agencies have access to higher quality and more timely information and can more 

quickly identify leads, mitigate public risks, and resolve cases. Additionally, analysts at the 

Department have access to more data and can take advantage of automated tools to assist their 

analysis. 

The project uses a standard national information exchange model to enable more precise and 

efficient information exchange between law enforcement information systems of participating 

Federal, State, and local agencies. Use of the exchange model reduces the costs for developing 

and implementing related systems and improves the timeliness and quality of information 

sharing. 

The project is led by the Department and relies upon a coordinating council to ensure project 

planning and implementation supports the diverse law enforcement activities at the Federal, State 

and local levels. The council also represents the Department in establishing regional agreements 

with other State and local law enforcement agencies, who in turn work with the Department to 

integrate their own law enforcement databases. 

23
Department of Labor 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.dol.gov/cio/programs/e-gov/egov2006.htm. 

The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the managing 

partner for the multi-agency DisabilityInfo.gov web portal. The site is a citizen-centric, onestop, comprehensive web resource designed to provide Americans with disabilities and those 

who support, serve, and employ them with information relevant to their day-to-day lives. 

ODEP maintains a consistent dialogue with stakeholders and partners at the Federal, State and 

local levels through its outreach and collaborative efforts to ensure the success of 

DisabilityInfo.gov. In addition, ODEP conducts surveys and focus groups to measure the 

effectiveness of its government and public outreach campaigns and to gauge overall customer 

satisfaction. 

The move to a citizen-centric, one-stop portal is realizing leveraged cost savings by avoiding the 

additional costs associated with alternative dissemination mechanisms and achieving the 

objective of increasing customer satisfaction. In fiscal year 2006, DisabilityInfo.gov 

demonstrated savings of over $22 million including the consolidation of each partner agencies’ 

activities for strengthening visibility and public awareness. 

ODEP works diligently to ensure all information posted on DisabilityInfo.gov is not only 

formatted to allow people with disabilities to read and access data with the aid of assistive 

technology, but also conducts additional usability testing and enhancement. In addition, ODEP 

maintains a goal ensuring the DisabilityInfo.gov web portal is operational 99.9% of the time, 

thereby facilitating constant availability of this valuable resource. 

Department of Transportation 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.dot.gov/webpoliciesnotices/dotegovactreport2006.htm. 

A major initiative at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been to 

streamline the management of records throughout the Agency by transitioning an increasing 

number of documents and processes into the Agency’s Electronic Document Management 

System (EDMS). The self-contained, online system allows for advanced retrieval, transmission, 

and archiving for agency records. 

The success of this E-Government initiative has been due to the ongoing dialogue between the 

FMCSA Office of Information Technology and other groups within the agency. Moreover, the 

agency involved its safety enforcement personnel, administrative support, and customers to 

identify their document access needs and other elements of their regular work flows. 

24
The system is in compliance with Section 508, and although most system users are government 

employees with assigned workstations and Internet access, FMCSA has procedures in place for 

providing documentation to citizens on an as-requested basis. 

The system has had a transformative effect, significantly reducing the time and expense involved 

in the transfer, scanning, storage and retrieval of records, particularly those dealing with safety 

enforcement and compliance review. There have also been cost savings and cost avoidance 

through automation of records management processes and more efficient storage and 

supervision. 

Department of the Treasury 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.treas.gov/offices/cio/egov/. 

The United States Mint applies world-class business practices in making, selling, and protecting 

our Nation’s coinage and assets. In support of its strategic goal to design, sell, and deliver 

quality products, the United States Mint operates its Retail Sales System. This system supports 

the order processing, inventory management, accounting and merchandising of coinage. The 

system provides benefits such as real-time product availability, 24-hour customer service and 

returns processed within 24 hours. 

The United States Mint collaborated with industry vendors to develop this system based on 

commercial-off-the-shelf products. The United States Mint also works with Treasury’s Financial 

Management Service which provides credit card authorizations, billing, and refunds. 

The Retail Sales System helps drive increased efficiency for the United States Mint through 

lower customer care center operating costs and reduced shipping and handling costs. Customer 

satisfaction with its e-commerce website continues to improve increasing to a score of 82 in 

fiscal year 2006 as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. In addition, 

customers are encouraged to contact the United States Mint by phone, TTY device, email, or 

U.S. mail with questions or comments. 

The United States Mint offers several additional sales channels to customers who want to order 

products. These include direct mail, fax, and phone. Several times a year, order forms and 

brochures are available to existing and new United States Mint customers. 

 

Department of State 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.state.gov/m/irm/rls/74822.htm. 

The Post Administrative Software Suite (PASS) increases the efficiency of common U.S. 

Department of State embassy and consulate administrative processes such as new arrival 

processing, orders for supplies and equipment, and visitor services. The software suite can be 

25
accessed from multiple State Department locations and allows many administrative functions to 

become accessible regardless of location. 

The software suite leverages the Department’s worldwide resources, standardizes administrative 

tools, and enables managers worldwide to benefit from integrated data. The software suite 

allows managers to view data in various ways to help them to be aware of issues and trends 

before they become serious problems. 

The software suite also enhances the flow of information to other post applications to eliminate 

redundant data entry, minimizes or eliminates paperwork, reduces delays, and allows for 

electronic backup of files remotely. The software suite is currently implementing Help Desk 

links, a suggestion box, and a user forum. The U.S. Agency for International Development has 

an agreement with the software suite to use some of the administrative functions at its overseas 

missions and is considering using the software suite for domestic business processes. 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.va.gov/oit/. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has long been regarded as a leader in the Federal debt 

management community. The primary mission of the Debt Management Center (DMC) at VA is 

to collect debts resulting from an individual's participation in VA's benefits programs in an 

efficient and cost-effective manner, while maintaining compassionate, high-quality service to 

veterans and their families. Clients include Federal government agencies, State agencies, and 

private companies. 

 

The DMC has undergone significant, veteran-friendly, changes over the past several years. In 

2004, the DMC implemented the online payment system and recurring automated direct debit 

availability cost-effectively increasing the efficiency of debt payment for debtors and the Federal 

government. 

 

In 2006, the DMC notified the public of the ability to use pay.va.gov, a Department of Treasury 

online payment website, and government purchase cards to complete transactions. Use of 

pay.va.gov eliminates excessive postage fees, reduces payment processing time, and allows 

veterans to access recurring direct deposit options for payments. VA accepts user feedback on 

available functionality of the portal, and is currently considering further enhancements to make 

the payment system as convenient and efficient as possible. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.epa.gov/oei/policies.htm. 

26
The Central Data Exchange (CDX) serves as the gateway for electronic data exchange for the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).42 EPA created the system to reduce burden on 

businesses, improve data quality and timeliness, and provide better access to environmental 

information for the public. This system allows businesses to submit environmental information, 

such as compliance reports, to EPA in a secure manner over the Internet. In addition, the system 

allows EPA, States, and Indian Tribes to exchange data and information electronically. 

Through a joint partnership, EPA and the States established the Environmental Information 

Exchange Network to promote sharing of environmental information. There are now over 48,000 

registered system users, including all States and over 50 Indian Tribes. The Exchange Network 

was started in 2000 and has grown largely because it is a cooperative effort amongst all the 

participating entities. The Exchange Network is built on open technology standards and is 

governed by consensus satisfying the interests of all participants. 

A recent analysis showed average net savings of $516,000 for six EPA systems. For businesses, 

the system allows electronic payment of fees when required, which reduces processing time, and 

accelerates permitting while improving data quality through reduced administrative errors. 

General Services Administration 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.gsa.gov/egovreport. 

The Electronic Acquisition System (EAS) application is a centralized web-enabled electronic 

procurement system with a range of tools designed to support nationwide Public Buildings 

Service (PBS) acquisition preparation, tracking, and reporting. The system streamlines the 

acquisition management process and supports the entire contracting process. 

The application has streamlined PBS acquisition and has consistently incorporated user feedback 

to ensure the application meets requirements while closely supporting the agency’s mission. PBS 

collaborates with E-Government stakeholders to obtain feedback and ensure understanding of the 

opportunities and process revisions. 

The ongoing efficiencies and economies enable PBS Business Line cost savings and cost 

avoidances. The benefits include reduction in duplication of effort, increased data quality, and 

improved efficiency. Significant qualitative benefits are the increase in user satisfaction and 

accuracy of data, and the role it plays in accomplishing and reporting procurement tasks. 

The application requires full compliance with Section 508 for access to persons with disabilities 

and GSA and PBS continue to assess the adequacy of accessibility under the current structure 

and operation of the organization.

 

42 The Central Data Exchange can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/cdx.

27
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ocio/home/index.html. 

In March 2006, the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) began performing a variety of 

transactional and administrative activities historically done at each NASA Center. This 

consolidation allowed the shared service center to increase operational efficiency and improve 

overall customer service in four functional areas: human resources, financial management, 

procurement, and information technology. 

To measure performance and customer service, agreements are established at each NASA Center 

with specific, monthly performance metrics. In addition, customer feedback is collected through 

surveys, web-site feedback systems, and customer contract centers. Special consideration in 

providing access to all users includes testing to ensure all web services and web-sites are 

compliant with Section 508. 

By consolidating functional services into a single organization, the shared service center has 

been able to leverage common information technology solutions to support multiple functional 

requirements. In addition, the shared service center is consolidating various center and mission 

support contracts and achieving cost savings and avoidance. Currently, the shared service center 

is looking at four other major software implementations for contract consolidations. 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/e-gov/index.html. 

The Agency-wide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) replaced two existing 

systems and introduced a combination of policies, processes, and tools to manage most NRC 

official records electronically. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) employees and 

contractors use the system to organize, process, and manage agency documents, and search for 

and retrieve agency records. 

The NRC connects with its external partners, which include NRC licensees, industry 

representatives, law firms and researchers, through user surveys evaluating public user 

satisfaction with the system and identifying areas for improvement. The agency released the 

results of the first ADAMS Public User Satisfaction Survey to the public via the NRC's public 

website in May to June 2004 and will periodically repeat the survey in order to monitor 

progress.43

The system allows members of the public to retrieve and view documents using their web 

browser at their convenience and save, download, or print documents free of charge. Since the 

deployment of the system, publicly available documents are now released in days rather than 

weeks. 

 

43 NRC’s public website can be found at: http://www.nrc.gov.

28
National Science Foundation 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.nsf.gov/oirm/dis/FY06EGovReport10-20-06FINAL.pdf. 

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) eJacket application is the core internal system for 

processing NSF proposals for research opportunities by leveraging innovative grants 

management tools. The application is the cornerstone of NSF’s information technology system 

modernization efforts, leveraging innovative technology to make business processes more 

efficient, eliminating paper files and allowing simultaneous access to critical program records 

and transactions. 

The application enables Program Officers to use electronic signatures and share documents in a 

more efficient way. In fiscal year 2006, NSF customers used the application to access proposals 

and reduce processing time. 

NSF obtains and evaluates user feedback through several venues including an online suggestion 

box, new release surveys and a board composed of representatives for a wide range of NSF 

programs. Based upon customer feedback and suggestions, NSF has implemented several 

enhancements significantly increasing the application’s efficiency and effectiveness. 

The application has features to provide communications tools for external customers. With new 

software enhancements this year, the application is fully compliant with Section 508 and is 

accessible anywhere, anytime for all NSF customers. 

The Office of Management and Budget 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/organization/fy2006_e-gov_act_rpt.pdf. 

In the early 1980’s, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) automated the collection and 

publication of the numeric data in the Budget. However, the collection and publication of the 

Appendix’s textual components – the appropriations language and narrative – remained 

primarily a manual process. 

After extensive consultation with stakeholders, it was decided to conduct a limited pilot with a 

single agency and only a few stages of the process. This pilot was highly successful, and was 

extended in 2003 to include additional process stages and add three additional agency chapters. 

For the 2008 President’s Budget, 70 percent of the document will be automated, with the 

remaining chapters scheduled for the 2009 Budget. 

When completed, it is estimated the new automated process will save more than a thousand 

hours of work each budget season Government-wide, by the agencies and OMB, and another five 

hundred hours by the Government Printing Office. These efficiencies increase the available time 

for analysis and decision-making. By enabling stakeholder organizations to simultaneously view 

changes as they occur, it has facilitated negotiation and resolution of differences. In addition, by 

29
eliminating manual transcription and automatically applying editing rules specific to the 

Appendix, the new automated process improves information quality. 

Office of Personnel Management 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.opm.gov/about_opm/10_18TokEGov_Report_2006.pdf. 

The Retirement System Modernization (RSM) initiative will transform the Federal government’s 

retirement system to an automated, virtually paperless system. In addition to improving data 

timeliness and accuracy, the system will give the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) staff 

new capabilities to perform real-time analysis of retirement data, aggregate and analyze benefits 

data, and offer custom reports. 

 

OPM will receive user feedback about the system through a call center, e-mail, and online 

polling. In addition, the OPM-led Retirement System Modernization Group (RSMG) has 

regularly scheduled meetings to ensure continuous dialogue between OPM and the payroll 

providers, including Federal agencies. In addition to Section 508 compliant functionality, OPM 

will also continue to provide access to all users through enhancements to the telephone selfservice functions currently provided by OPM. 

While the system’s greatest benefit will be improved service delivery and new functionality, the 

system will yield real savings through reduced improper payments. By the end of fiscal year 

2009, OPM plans to provide online access to all of the record and retirement planning tools for 

active Federal employees with electronic retirement records. 

Small Business Administration 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.sba.gov/ocio/sba_egov_act_report_2006.pdf. 

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Disaster Assistance (ODA) has 

implemented the Disaster Credit Management System (DCMS) initiative to improve the 

efficiency, quality, and timeliness of disaster loan processing. This effort enables ODA to 

efficiently streamline functions associated with its disaster loan process and disaster management 

process by creating electronic loan and disaster records. The underlying technology provided 

key support in the transformation to more efficient organizational units. 

ODA regularly provides status reports and performs presentations of its technical solutions to a 

wide range of audiences including other agencies and user groups. These communications 

permit open discussion and a means to explore innovative technological solutions based on the 

experiences of others. Program information is published through pamphlets and fact sheets and 

is available in general format in advance of a disaster event and is tailored for specific needs 

following each disaster. ODA also has a field presence for personal contact in the affected areas 

following major disasters, providing the best possible access to the citizens. 

30
Social Security Administration 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.ssa.gov/irm/. 

In July 2005, the Social Security Administration (SSA) launched the online version of the 

Medicare Part D Subsidy Application for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Costs (i1020). 

This new Internet application enables eligible seniors and people with disabilities, or their 

representatives, to apply for financial help with Medicare prescription drug costs. 

The online version resulted from legislative changes under the Medicare Prescription Drug, 

Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. SSA wanted to maximize the use of automation 

not only to process these forms efficiently, but also to process them in a timely manner. The 

system is Section 508 compliant and if individuals do not have access to the Internet, the paper 

application is available. In addition, SSA encourages third parties, States and other non-profit 

organizations to assist individuals in completing the Internet application. 

Since implementation, public satisfaction has been consistently high. With a score of 87, it has 

the highest overall rating in any category in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. In fiscal 

year 2006, over 500,000 individuals used the online version to apply for help with Medicare 

prescription drug costs. 

U.S. Agency for International Development 

The Agency’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.usaid.gov/policy/egov/.

The Phoenix Overseas Deployment Project provides the U.S. Agency for International 

Development (USAID) with a modern, comprehensive, and responsive financial management 

system. Through the overseas deployment completed in May 2006, the project now offers stateof-the-art technology for high performance, online transaction processing and high-volume, 

automated batch processing no matter which international mission generates the data. 

Overseas deployment of the project has helped reduce the number of erroneous payments and 

imposes a standard process for financial accounting allowing USAID staff to concentrate on 

higher-level decision making functions, financial services, and strategic planning. Since the 

system has been deployed, there is not only projected savings but the benefit of enhanced 

performance management.

The project further enables USAID to align with the Department of State as part of a Joint 

Financial Management System, which enhances each agency’s ability to effectively conduct 

sound financial management and budget management activity, especially as USAID and the 

Department of State collaborate on multiple programs around the world. 

31
U.S. Department of Agriculture 

The Department’s E-Government Act Report is located at: 

http://www.egov/usda.gov. 

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) launched its new electronic permitting 

system (ePermits) on April 3, 2006. The system allows customers to apply for a permit, check its 

status, and view it online. The ability to submit applications and receive permits via the Internet 

and in some cases the ability to pay applicable permit application fees online, saves customers 

and APHIS the time and effort associated with the paper-based process.44 

To successfully implement the system, USDA demonstrated a desire to team with customers, 

state officials, and peer agencies by facilitating outreach sessions and customer tests. USDA 

continues to maintain ongoing dialogue with system developers, users, partners, and stakeholders 

to plan and implement additional features. Customers without Internet access at their facility can 

still use the paper permit application process and USDA developed the system to be compliant 

with Section 508. 

Previously, the permit processing workload was growing to become unmanageable with current 

staff and resources. By eliminating the cost of processing paper and automating the system, more 

efficiency will result, saving APHIS an estimated $1.2 million per year in the first full year of 

operating the system. On average, APHIS has cut in half the time it takes to process applications 

to import enterable plants and timber when the applications are entered online. In addition, the 

system will make it more difficult to tamper with a permit because the system provides 

immediate access to information relating to applications and permits. 

 

44 Additional information on ePermits can be found at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/permits/.

32
SECTION III: OPERATIONS OF THE E-GOVERNMENT FUND 

GSA manages the E-Government Fund to support innovative interagency projects led by OMB. These 

initiatives transform internal operations necessary to secure and disseminate Federal information while 

improving Federal program and services delivered to the public. 

The following table describes the projects for which funding was approved by OMB in 

fiscal year 2006 and the results achieved. Funding for these three initiatives totaled $2,970,000. 

Fiscal year 2006 E-Government Fund Initiatives 

Agency Initiative Funding Description and Results 

OMB Lines of Business: 

 Information 

Technology 

Infrastructure 

Optimization 

 Geospatial 

 Budget Formulation 

and Execution 

$1,500,000 OMB initiated three new Lines of Business 

(LoBs) in FY 2006: 

 Information Technology Infrastructure 

Optimization 

 Geospatial 

 Budget Formulation and Execution 

The funding supported examination by 

interagency taskforces of opportunities for 

performance improvement and sharing of 

common information resources. Taskforces 

developed business case justifications 

identifying common solutions and plans for 

advancing the LoBs in FY 2007. These plans 

identify opportunities to reduce the cost of 

government operations and improve services to 

citizens and agencies. 

The Information Technology Infrastructure 

Optimization LoB is defining industry packages 

comprised of hardware, software and service, 

identifying standard prices for those packages, 

identifying best practices, and developing 

guidance agencies will use to transition to more 

cost-effective operations. 

The Geospatial LoB is identifying opportunities 

for optimizing and consolidating Federal 

geospatial-related investments to reduce the 

cost of government and improve services to 

citizens. 

The Budget Formulation and Execution LoB is 

focused on improving Executive branch budget 

33
Fiscal year 2006 E-Government Fund Initiatives 

Agency Initiative Funding Description and Results 

processes by employing standards and 

technologies for electronic information 

exchange to link budget, execution, 

performance, and financial information. 

NIST Analysis and Processing 

of E-Government 

Standards through the 

Federal Information 

Processing Standards 

(FIPS) Program 

$1,000,000 The National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) is using the funds to 

establish standards for E-Government and Lines 

of Business (LoB) Initiatives. 

In fiscal year 2006, NIST d to validate 

initiatives’ mature standards used to increase 

interoperability for broad use across all user 

groups. 

Their review of the standards created a 

foundation for the applied knowledge of the 

specific standards and types of standards 

successfully implemented in specific E-Gov and 

LoB Initiatives. To date, the following 

initiatives are using mature standards: 

1. E-Gov Travel 

2. Enterprise HR Integration 

3. Geospatial One-Stop 

4. Consolidated Health Informatics 

5. Human Resources Management LoB 

6. Federal Health Architecture LoB 

The initiatives are conducting interviews, 

analysis, and workshops to identify best 

practices for the development of new standards 

for these (or all) E-Government initiatives. 

In fiscal year 2007, NIST will apply lessons 

learned from previous efforts to assist other EGovernment initiatives by implementing a “best 

practice” standards maturation process. 

34
Fiscal year 2006 E-Government Fund Initiatives 

Agency Initiative Funding Description and Results 

GSA Application 

Development, Office of 

Citizen Services 

$470,000 Funds were used to partially support the 

emergency establishment and operation of an 

outsourced contact center for the Department of 

Veterans Affairs to provide information to 

veterans and spouses who were at risk of 

identity theft. The contact center operated for 

just over three months and handled more than 

225,000 calls. 

35
SECTION IV: LISTING OF REPORTS AND POLICES USED 

IN THIS REPORT 

Page 4 

1. Chapter 9 of the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 Budget of the U.S. Government can be 

found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/apers.html. 

2. The December 2006 report, “Expanding E-Government: Making a Difference for the 

American People Using Information Technology,” can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/documents/expanding_egov_2006.pdf. 

3. The 2007 “Report to Congress on the Benefits of the E-Government Initiatives,” can 

be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/g-10-Section_841.html. 

4. OMB’s FY 2006 report, “Federal Information Security Management Act,” can be 

found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/infopoltech.html. 

Page 5 

5. OMB Memorandum M-06-02, “Improving Public Access to and Dissemination of 

Government Information and Using the Federal Enterprise Architecture Data Reference 

Model,” can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2006/m06-

02.pdf. 

Page 6 

6. Executive Order 13392, “Improving Agency Disclosure of Information,” can be found 

at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051214-4.html. 

Page 7 

7. The Attorney General’s Report to the President pursuant to Executive Order 13392 can 

be found at: http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/ag_report_to_president_13392.pdf. 

8. The text of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 can be 

found at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgibin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ282.109.pdf. 

Page 8 

9. OMB’s April 15, 2005 report, “Organizations Complementing Federal Agency 

Information Dissemination Programs,” can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/section_213_report_04-2005.pdf. 

Page 9 

10. NARA’s “Guidance for Implementing Section 207(e) of the E-Government Act of 

2002,” can be found at: http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2006/2006-

02.html. 

36
11. The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) Records Management Profile, version 1.0 

can be found at: http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/policy/rm-profile.html. 

12, OMB Circular A-11, Section 300 can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a11/current_year/s300.pdf. 

Page 11 

13. Additional information on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 can be found 

at: http://www.section508.gov.

14. The Federal Geographic Data Commission (FGDC) Report, “Future Directions – 

Governance of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure,” can be found at: 

http://www.fgdc.gov/policyandplanning/future-directions/actionplans/Final%20Draft%20FD-GOV%20Report%205-31-05.doc. 

Page 12 

15. OMB Memorandum M-06-07, “Designation of a Senior Agency Official for 

Geospatial Information,” can be found at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2006/m06-07.pdf. 

16. The FGDC 2005 Annual Report can be found at: http://www.fgdc.gov/fgdcnews/2005-annual-report. 

Page 13 

17. The OPM Information Technology Exchange Program guidance can be found at: 

http://www.opm.gov/leader/hrd/lead/itep/overview.asp. 

Page 15 

18. A summary of the June 2005 Workshop on Using Information Technology to 

Enhance Disaster Management can be found at: 

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/cstb/pub_fema_workshop.html. 

Page 16 

19. The SAFECOM Statement of Requirements Volumes I and II can be found at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/technology/1258_statementof.htm. 

Page 17 

20. The Statewide Communications Interoperability Planning Methodology can be found 

at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/interoperabilitycasestudies/1223_st

atewidecommunications.htm. 

37
Page 18 

21. The SAFECOM May 2006 Report to Congress on the result of the Regional 

Communications Interoperability Pilots in Nevada and Kentucky can be found at: 

http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/interoperabilitycasestudies/1277_fi

nalreport.htm. 

38