FITARA
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| FITARA | |
|---|---|
| Name | Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act |
| Enacted by | United States Congress |
| Effective | 2014 |
| Public law | Public Law 113–291 |
| Introduced | 2014 |
| Enacted | December 2014 |
| Related legislation | Clinger–Cohen Act, Chief Information Officer Act of 1996, E-Government Act of 2002 |
FITARA
The Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act was a United States statute aimed at reforming federal information technology management, acquisition, and oversight. It sought to strengthen the authority of agency Chief Information Officers and to improve IT portfolio management, cybersecurity, and procurement across agencies such as the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Health and Human Services. FITARA influenced interactions among congressional committees like the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, executive entities including the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration, and watchdogs such as the Government Accountability Office.
Background and purpose
FITARA arose from longstanding concerns about federal IT modernization, cost overruns, and program failures that affected agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, and Department of Veterans Affairs. Influences included prior statutes like the Clinger–Cohen Act and oversight reports from the Government Accountability Office and hearings led by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and lawmakers such as Darrell Issa, Jason Chaffetz, and Gerald E. Connolly. The act aimed to centralize IT authority with agency Chief Information Officers, improve portfolio visibility for the Office of Management and Budget, and align acquisition practices with commercial standards upheld by the General Services Administration and private-sector firms such as IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Legislative history and enactment
FITARA provisions were debated in the 113th United States Congress amid hearings before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and markups involving members including Darrell Issa, Jim Jordan, and Eleanor Holmes Norton. Companion and related efforts intersected with proposals from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and incorporated recommendations from the Government Accountability Office and the Presidential Innovation Fellows. Key legislative milestones tied to FITARA included negotiations with the Office of Management and Budget and the passage of Public Law 113–291 in December 2014, with implementation coordinated by agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury.
Key provisions and requirements
FITARA instituted several mandates: enhancement of Chief Information Officer authority at agencies including the Department of Defense and National Aeronautics and Space Administration; improved IT portfolio management and inventory; mandated data center consolidation similar to initiatives by the General Services Administration; and strengthened congressional reporting and transparency through scorecards maintained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The law also expanded the role of agency Chief Information Security Officers and aligned procurement rules with frameworks used by Federal Acquisition Regulation stakeholders and contractors like Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Implementation and oversight
Implementation involved multiple executive and legislative actors: the Office of Management and Budget issued guidance, the Government Accountability Office conducted evaluations, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee produced the FITARA scorecard. Agencies including the Department of State, Department of Education, and Department of Energy appointed CIOs with clarified authorities and reported inventory data to the Federal CIO Council and the OMB Federal CIO. Oversight hearings featured testimony from agency CIOs, Chief Financial Officers, and contractors such as Accenture and Deloitte.
Scorecard and evaluation metrics
The FITARA scorecard, produced by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, evaluated agencies on metrics like CIO authority, data center consolidation, IT portfolio review, and software licensing optimization. Agencies rated included the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The scorecard influenced congressional appropriations debates and was informed by reports from the Government Accountability Office and analyses by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Impact and outcomes
FITARA prompted agencies to revise governance, centralize IT budgeting, and pursue consolidation projects similar to initiatives by the General Services Administration and modern cloud transitions championed by providers like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Outcomes cited by proponents included improved visibility into agency portfolios, identification of redundant contracts involving vendors such as Oracle and SAP SE, and progress on data center closures. Legislative and executive coordination led to further reforms in acquisition demonstrated by updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and collaboration with advisory groups like the Presidential Innovation Fellows.
Criticisms and challenges
Critics argued that FITARA sometimes produced compliance-focused behavior rather than substantive modernization, citing persistent issues at agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs and Internal Revenue Service. Challenges included uneven implementation across agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, tensions between CIO and program office authorities noted in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and difficulties reconciling FITARA mandates with acquisition realities involving contractors like Palantir Technologies and CGI Inc.. Analysts at organizations including the Government Accountability Office, Bipartisan Policy Center, and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation recommended clarifications to metrics, enhanced congressional-executive coordination, and further legislative refinement.