Page 5 - FCW, August 2021

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Proposals for modernization funds top $2 billion
“I am so bullish on the Technology Modernization Fund.... I see enormous possibility.”
$4 billion
in pandemic reimbursement payments may be owed by DOD to defense contractors
Federal CIO Clare Martorana testified at a House hearing in July that the Technology Modernization Fund is in high gear, and its board was meeting 10 hours a week to assess proposals and determine which projects should be funded for maximum impact.
Martorana, who serves as chair- woman of the TMF Board,
told members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Government Operations Subcommittee
that 43 agencies have sub-
mitted a total of 108 project
proposals since the govern-
ment added $1 billion to the
fund under the American Rescue Plan Act.
That increase was accompanied by a relaxation of payback requirements that many agencies found daunting.
She testified that the value of the project submissions exceeded $2 bil- lion, and proposals were still coming in. At least 75% of the new projects focused on cybersecurity, she added.
“I am so bullish on the Technology Modernization Fund,” Martorana said. “Now that we’re in a 2.0 phase with
the $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding, I see enormous possibility.”
The hearing was held to assess agencies’ progress on implementing the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act and to share the results of the latest FITARA score- card, which gives agencies letter grades
range, earning a top A-plus rating. Although most agencies maintained the scorecard ratings they received in December 2020, the Justice Depart- ment dropped from a C-minus to a D-minus, and the Department of Vet- erans Affairs dropped from a B-plus to a C-plus. There were some improve- ments. The Interior Depart- ment and the Social Security Administration both went up full points to receive B-plus ratings, and the State Department received a slightly higher score of C from its previous C-minus
rating.
In terms of cybersecurity, four agen-
cies improved their scores, while two saw their ratings drop.
Carol Harris, IT and cybersecurity director at the Government Account- ability Office, told lawmakers that her team would work with Congress to find new ways to use FITARA to improve governmentwide cybersecurity efforts. Those strategies could include creat- ing a scorecard that focuses solely on cybersecurity.
— Chris Riotta
— Federal CIO Clare Martorana
for their performance in areas covered by the legislation.
“Throughout this pandemic, we’ve come to realize how vital agile IT and strong IT governance are to the success of the federal government in meeting the needs of the people we all serve,” Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said at the hearing.
According to the latest scorecard results, most agencies were just get- ting by with an overall C grade. Only one — the General Services Admin- istration — received a score in the A
FCW CALENDAR
9/14 Emerging Tech
The Army ’s Hannah Hunt, USCIS’ Robert Brown, the Labor
Department’s Krista Kinnard and GSA’s Ellery Taylor are among the speakers at FCW’s Emerging Tech Workshop.
Online
FCW.com/EmergingTech
9/21Records Management
Chief Records Officer Laurence Brewer of NARA is the
keynote speaker at this FCW workshop on the move to fully electronic records management mandated by M-19-21.
Online
FCW.com/ElectronicRecords
10/5 IT Modernization
Speakers at FCW’s summit include the IRS’ Nancy Sieger, the
Federal Acquisition Service’s Sonny Hashmi, the Census Bureau’s Drew Zachary and DISA’s Sharon Woods.
Online
FCW.com/Modernization
August 2021 FCW.COM 3