Daniel Stoneking thinks the Federal Emergency Management Agency has taken public-private partnerships to a whole new level.
“You hear about transparency in the federal government and folks talk about opening the door. I like to joke that we’ve taken the hinges off the door,” said Stoneking, FEMA’s director of the Private Sector Division. Keep reading →
COMMENTARY: For quite some time now, Americans have been hearing about the dire state of infrastructure in the US. It’s clear that traditional sources of funding new projects and repairs are struggling to keep the nation’s infrastructure from falling apart, let alone thrive. What isn’t as clear is how to fix it.
Formula grants distributed through the Highway Trust Fund have long been the preferred way to fund infrastructure. But the inefficiency of earmarks and the decrease in revenues from the gas tax are posing significant challenges for this funding model. Keep reading →
Technology holds massive cost-saving potential, but the bleak budget outlook means engaging stakeholders and building solid relationships along with high-level leadership will be the most important factors in achieving innovation in government.
Technology innovation discussions at this week’s Executive Leadership Conference touched on the usual suspects — data center consolidation and the cloud – and the anticipated cost savings. Keep reading →
As a person who works with both the federal government and private industry, I’m lucky to be able to see the recent focus on federal cybersecurity not only from the perspective of lawmakers and agencies, but also from the outside looking in. Unfortunately, the view from both perspectives isn’t very pretty. Throughout the lifecycle of federally-mandated cybersecurity, there is inconsistency, overlap, and contradiction across the spectrum, from legislation, to implementation, to awareness and communication.
The federal government clearly wants to lead by example in cybersecurity; but a leader without direction, focus or communication skills is no leader at all.” Keep reading →
How do you tell the difference between when government programs overlap and duplicate each other versus when they complement and reinforce each other in a collaborative network? Is this just a difference in rhetoric or in reality?
This is the underlying theme of a new report by Congressional Research Service specialist Fredrick Kaiser, in “Interagency Collaborative Arrangements and Activities: Types, Rationales, and Considerations.” Given the recent big push by Congress to deal with overlapping programs, and recent reports by the Government Accountability Office, it is quite timely. Keep reading →