Bill > S1843

This bill, titled the Federal Information Technology Savings, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2013, aims to reduce waste and duplication in how the federal government buys and manages its technology. It proposes to give agency Chief Information Officers (CIOs) more authority, including requiring that CIOs for certain agencies be appointed or designated by the President from individuals with significant information technology management experience. These CIOs would report directly to the agency head and have a say in budget planning for IT projects and the acquisition of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) IT products, which are items readily available in the commercial market. The bill also mandates that each agency have only one CIO, with the option for deputy or assistant CIOs, and establishes the CIO Council as the primary body for coordinating IT practices across agencies, encouraging shared services and platforms. Furthermore, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will examine the effectiveness of the CIO Council, and agencies will be required to make public cost, schedule, and performance data for most of their IT investments, with limited exceptions for national security reasons, to enhance transparency.