The Expanded Electronic Government initiative has focused on leveraging information technology to make the Federal government more citizen-centered and results oriented. With many of the E-Gov initiatives close to declaring success, citizens and government are beginning to see a real difference.

Some of the recent achievements in E-Gov are:

• Geospatial One-Stop: GeoData.gov responded twice in the month of September to major natural disasters. GeoData.gov, a portal featuring "one-stop" access to geospatial information and resources from diverse sources, quickly compiled and posted links to web sites, maps and information from numerous government sources on the impact of Hurricane Isabel that shut down much of the East Coast of the United States as well as the September 25th earthquake in Japan and its potential impact on the United States.
• E-Payroll: The E-Payroll initiative completed a major milestone in August with the successful migration of the Department of Energy, the first agency to migrate to an E-Payroll provider. This initiative, which is working to consolidate 22 federal payroll systems to simplify and standardize federal payroll processes, is estimated to save $1.1 billion over its lifetime.
• Recruitment One-Stop: OPM unveiled the new look and feel of www.usajobs.opm.gov, showcasing new user-friendly features such as: enhanced job search engine and sorting capability, resume storage, a personal career management homepage, and improved accessibility for disabled users. The web site is the foremost destination for those seeking employment with the Federal government, allowing job seekers to quickly and easily find and apply for federal jobs in a centralized location.
• SAFECOM: SAFECOM recently provided coordination and public safety communication expertise within DOJ, and FEMA, within DHS. These two grant programs recently announced $146.5 million in interoperable communications funding grants to awardees across the country. SAFECOM worked with the two grant programs throughout the solicitation, evaluation and award lifecycle and will continue to support the programs and awardees by providing technical assistance and funding where needed.
• Grants.gov: With the recent completion of both the "Find Grant Opportunities" and the "Apply for Grants" features, Grants.gov is preparing to officially launch their web site in November. More than $360 billion in annual grants from 26 federal agencies will be available for grantees to find and apply for. Phase 2, which begins in Spring 2004, will focus on the reporting and closeout of grants.
• E-Training: GoLearn.gov, the Federal government's e-training resource, just completed their Module 3 implementation, adding competency-based career path tools, leadership development, and succession planning technology. This additional functionality allows for the linkage of Executive Core Competencies, behaviors and characteristics to e-learning.

Additionally, the Expanding Electronic Government initiative is making progress in a number of other areas, beyond just the E-Gov initiatives:

• Lines of Business: Four teams, lead by DOJ, OPM, DOE/DOL, and HHS, developed FY05 business cases that addressed opportunities for more effective IT spending in the areas of: Financial Management, Human Resources, Federal Health Architecture, and Case Management. Over the next quarter, the managing partner agency and multi-agency working groups for each of the four lines of business initiatives will begin to implement the tasks outlined in the business cases. The initial work focuses on solidifying partner support, defining common practices, processes and standards, and identifying functional requirements.

• Federal Enterprise Architecture: The Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) recently completed work on the 4th reference model (Performance Reference Model) and it was published for agency use. Work on the 5th model (Data Reference Model) and the inclusion of a security wrapper is nearing completion, however delays continue due to limited resources. For the first time, the FEA moved from development to implementation as Agencies provided architecture information in their IT budget submissions, based on guidance and policy issued during last quarter as part of the budget guidance. Efforts to collaborate and involve state, local and tribal jurisdictions were initiated through the Federal CIO council subcommittees.

• IT Privacy and Security: Government-wide progress has been made toward the IT security goals under the E-Gov Scorecard and the privacy provisions of the E-Government Act. This progress is reported in both agency and Inspectors General IT security reports. While much work remains, agency efforts identify an increase in the percentage of systems with security plans, and the percentage of systems that have been certified and accredited. These clear improvements as well as the continued monitoring of agency activities through the President's Management Agenda Scorecard, help to improve the security and privacy of the Federal government's information and systems.

Further information on Expanded Electronic Government, the E-Gov Strategy, or other E-Gov topics of interest can be found at www.egov.gov, the official web site of the President's E-Government Initiatives. The web site is an up-to-date, public source of information about the E-Gov Initiatives and their accomplishments. Additionally, information on the FEA can be found at www.feapmo.gov.

Sincerely,
Karen Evans



The Five Initatives:

• Strategic Management of Human Capital - Linda Springer
• Commercial Services Management - Paul Denett
• Improving Financial Performance - Danny Werfel
• Expanded Electronic Government - Karen Evans
• Performance Improvement - Robert Shea