David Powner

See the following -

Agencies Aren't Honest About Tech Spending And Risks, Auditor Says

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | June 11, 2013

Better information technology management could save taxpayers $10 billion within five years, the government's top technology auditor told lawmakers Tuesday. But getting there will require agencies to be more open about what they're spending on IT and what they're actually getting for that investment. Read More »

Budget Authority And Executive Titles Come In For Scrutiny In IT Reform Debate

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | January 22, 2013

Government chief information officers without authority over their agencies’ technology spending are like “toothless tigers,” former Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., testified Tuesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee he once chaired. Read More »

Digital Government Milestone Passes In Silence

Frank Konkel | FCW | December 5, 2012

The six-month milestone since the White House released its Digital Government Strategy has come and gone with little fanfare. Read More »

Federal CIO Outlines Second-Term IT Priorities

Patience Wait | InformationWeek | January 24, 2013

Amid continued cost cutting, the White House will seek to drive innovation, ROI and cybersecurity. Read More »

GAO Faults Oversight Of IT Investments

Nicole Blake Johnson | Federal Times | January 22, 2013

Many of the government’s information technology investments lack proper oversight and transparency and end up over budget or behind schedule, according to David Powner of the Government Accountability Office. Read More »

IT Reform Act Could Hitch A Ride On Major Defense Bill

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | June 11, 2013

The bipartisan team sponsoring a complete reboot of how the government buys information technology introduced a version of its bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday. Read More »

Lawmakers Grill Federal CIO On Data Center Figures

Wyatt Kash | InformationWeek Government | July 26, 2013

Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel, speaking before a House subcommittee Thursday, defended the Office of Management and Budget's sudden acknowledgement that the number of federal data centers now totaled more than 7,000, more than twice the number that had been reported as recently as May. Read More »

New US Digital Service Looks to Avoid IT Catastrophes

Alex Howard | TechPresident | August 13, 2014

The second initiative went live on Monday, when the White House formally launched a United States Digital Service (USDS) and published an open source Digital Services Playbook and a “TechFAR,” a part of the guide that “highlights the flexibilities in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) that can help agencies implement ‘plays’ from the Digital Services Playbook.” Read More »

Oversight Holds Hearing Tuesday On Wasteful IT Spending

Press Release | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | January 17, 2013

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has called a hearing next Tuesday at 1 p.m. focusing on the wasteful and dysfunctional fashion in which the federal government acquires information technology (IT) systems and services. Read More »

Wasting Information Technology Dollars: How Can The Federal Government Reform Its IT Investment Strategy?

Staff Writer | Committee On Oversight & Government Reform | January 22, 2013

Information technology is at the heart of every federal agency or program’s ability to function successfully. In just the last ten years, government spending on IT has risen from $46 billion in 2001 to approximately $81 billion in 2012. As is the case government wide, spending decisions are often not based on performance results... Read More »

White House Could Face Bipartisan Scorn If It Bucks IT Reform

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | July 25, 2013

If White House officials don’t get behind a House-passed bill that overhauls how the government buys information technology, they’re likely to face wrath from congressional Republicans and Democrats alike, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said Thursday. Read More »

White House Touts Nearly $1.4 Billion In IT Savings

Joseph Marks | Nextgov | July 25, 2013

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., expressed skepticism about the reported savings and asked for more documentation. Mica chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's panel on Government Operations. VanRoekel responded that the figures were based on rigorous investment reviews. Read More »

Why Duplication In Federal IT Happens: ‘We Lack Transparency And Good Metrics’

Colby Hochmuth | FedScoop | June 11, 2013

Sen. Tom Coburn came out swinging at today’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on reducing duplication and improving results in federal IT. Read More »