Expect IT Consolidation, Cost Cutting During Obama’s Second Term

Expanding the Office of Management and Budget’s PortfolioStat process for reviewing agencies’ informational technology spending will be one focus of the second Obama term, Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer Lisa Schlosser said.

Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel launched PortfolioStat in March focused mainly on reducing what agencies were paying for commodity IT such as wireless services and new desktop and laptop computer orders. The program was patterned after TechStat, a series of adapt-or-perish reviews created by VanRoekel’s predecessor Vivek Kundra for IT projects that are over budget and past deadline. Officials plan to expand PortfolioStat during the second term to help cut costs for projects that are unique to agencies’ missions, Schlosser said.