{"id":12871,"date":"2018-06-14T14:25:05","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T14:25:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/14\/3-ways-agencies-can-improve-procurement-and-modernization\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:38:13","slug":"3-ways-agencies-can-improve-procurement-and-modernization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/opinions\/2018\/06\/14\/3-ways-agencies-can-improve-procurement-and-modernization\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways agencies can improve procurement and modernization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The federal government manages $80 billion of IT systems, about 80 percent of which are decades old and prone to security vulnerabilities. Despite these drawbacks, enormous amounts of money have been spent over the years to maintain these systems, resulting in about $7 billion in so-called technical debt. The accrual of this technical debt is the result of federal agencies making inadequate, ad hoc fixes to their existing IT infrastructures, rather than investing in a holistic transformation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agencies are now facing this technical debt head on by actively deploying ambitious modernization initiatives. Their goals are to achieve cost efficiencies, improve innovation, and streamline the ways they approach purchasing and implementing technology products and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act is essentially a method for federal agencies to reinvest in themselves. Money saved from streamlining IT systems or transitioning to a cloud computing environment, for example, is then placed into a working capital fund that can be accessed for up to three years for additional modernization efforts. The goal is to encourage a creative approach, like open-source technology solutions that can be shared among agencies, eliminating duplication and reducing waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\t