Congratulations are in order for seven Federal agency CIOs and their senior staffs who earned well-deserved praise for improving their agencies’ grades on the latest FITARA (Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act) Scorecard issued by the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Based on FITARA Scorecard 10.0, MeriTalk’s FITARA Awards is the only awards program determined by Government Accountability Office data. In addition to awarding bragging rights – at least until the next FITARA Scorecard comes out later this year – the MeriTalk FITARA Awards recognizes impressive improvements in one or more FITARA grading categories that run the gamut from MGT Act, to cybersecurity progress, to CIO authorities.
Looking to the future, House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., sees the FITARA Scorecard evolving to match the everchanging technology landscape.
“While the FITARA Scorecard has successfully helped agencies move the needle in improving IT practices, work in this area is not done,” said Rep. Connolly. “We must ensure that the Scorecard continues to be a successful oversight tool so that Congress can continue to track agency improvement in implementing FITARA over time. I want to thank MeriTalk for its partnership in highlighting this year’s winners.”
Despite COVID-19 putting the kibosh on an in-person awards ceremony, MeriTalk wanted to congratulate this year’s award winners for their hard work.
And the winners are…
Best Overall: General Services Administration and U.S. Agency for International Development
Both GSA and USAID reprised their performance from the December 2019 scorecard, GSA with an “A+” grade and USAID with an “A” mark. They were the only agencies to get “A” grades on the tenth version of the scorecard.
Best in Scorecard Category (FISMA): Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NRC was the only agency to receive an “A” grade for the Cyber (FISMA) category. The agency overall score also jumped a full letter grade.
Most Improved: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Environmental Protection Agency, and Social Security Administration
The USDA, DoC, EPA, and SSA all jumped from a “C+” to a “B+.”
USDA saw improvements in three grading categories: Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI), Transparency and Risk Management, and FISMA. DoC saw grade improvements in two categories: DCOI and Transparency and Risk Management. Under Scorecard 10.0, the EPA achieved grade improvements in four categories: Agency CIO Authority Enhancements, Software Licensing, FISMA, and Modernizing Government Technology. The SSA notched improvements in three categories: DCOI, Portfolio Review, and Software Licensing.
