Reining in runaway IT projects is key to controlling costs, forum participants say

The government's top tech budget official said information technology spending is expected to rise above the current $80 billion level as agencies turn to IT to cut costs elsewhere.

"Over time that number is going to grow ... because we're going to make strategic investments that produce dividends," federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra told a group of thought leaders from industry, academia and government who had gathered in Washington to propose ways the government can turn around troubled IT projects. All were taking part in a daylong forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress, a Washington research institute. The event brought together officials known for effecting dramatic change at all levels of government, such as District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, to tackle citizens' decreasing confidence in Washington. One of the issues contributing to this distrust, according to government officials, is mismanaged IT projects that waste billions of taxpayer dollars annually. The Office of Management and Budget last month froze 30 financial systems to stem the problem until each program is replanned or cut. Simultaneously, OMB is developing recommendations, due this fall, for reforming the IT acquisition process to address the causes of project failures. The feedback collected from Tuesday's session is expected to inform the recommendations.