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The issue is the business processes the government uses to contract, and purchase products and services as well as the processes for moving money between differ

The issue is the business processes the government uses to contract, and purchase products and services as well as the processes for moving money between different agencies and departments are horrendous and involve a lot of people. This is true wether the value involved is $1 or $1 million. If any of the people involved is incompetent or decides they aren’t going to do their part in a timely fashion you are screwed. Nothing will change until that changes.

MOARDONGZPLZ 4y ago
This is an interesting hypothesis and I’ll take it to mean that among all the things that need to be solved, the business process is the biggest one. Because clearly there are many problems that need to be solved. But I think the hypothesis fails a bit on its face. Setting aside the question of whether an agency has money of the correct color to spend on something like Cloud.gov, interagency acquisitions are a fairly well-trodden path. It’s a very regular thing for an agency to purchase goods from another agency, and while software purchases still have wrinkles, it’s generally been done and can be done. Not always super easy, but easier than you seem to be implying. This goes for interagency transfers of money as well, but that’s really its own thing. It requires willingness from both parties. Still needs to be made easier, but I would still argue that the personal liability that attaches to an agency official that comes with accepting the risk of a security breach or other information loss is the biggest blockage to change. Put more plainly, would you risk your personal interests that Cloud.gov is secure enough for you to deploy your agency’s application to? Most people would not take this risk, which is in my estimation the biggest reason among many you only see small, public projects like EPA’s AirNow tracker on cloud.gov and nothing more sensitive or closer to an agency’s core mission deployed there. My understanding last I heard, which was a while ago, is that Cloud.gov team is scrambling to get new clients because that’s largely how it pays for or supports itself. I expect it will be deprecated eventually and that will regrettably chill any future initiatives like this.
ImPostingOnHN 4y ago
that seems to be the problem the post purports to solve? if they don't handle the compliance hassle of FARS (and maybe DFARS), what is their value proposition?
- pmorici 4y ago
  Transferring funds between agencies or departments is onerous it isn’t substantially easier to do that than just going direct.

MOARDONGZPLZ 4y ago

This is an interesting hypothesis and I’ll take it to mean that among all the things that need to be solved, the business process is the biggest one. Because clearly there are many problems that need to be solved. But I think the hypothesis fails a bit on its face. Setting aside the question of whether an agency has money of the correct color to spend on something like Cloud.gov, interagency acquisitions are a fairly well-trodden path. It’s a very regular thing for an agency to purchase goods from another agency, and while software purchases still have wrinkles, it’s generally been done and can be done. Not always super easy, but easier than you seem to be implying. This goes for interagency transfers of money as well, but that’s really its own thing. It requires willingness from both parties. Still needs to be made easier, but I would still argue that the personal liability that attaches to an agency official that comes with accepting the risk of a security breach or other information loss is the biggest blockage to change. Put more plainly, would you risk your personal interests that Cloud.gov is secure enough for you to deploy your agency’s application to? Most people would not take this risk, which is in my estimation the biggest reason among many you only see small, public projects like EPA’s AirNow tracker on cloud.gov and nothing more sensitive or closer to an agency’s core mission deployed there. My understanding last I heard, which was a while ago, is that Cloud.gov team is scrambling to get new clients because that’s largely how it pays for or supports itself. I expect it will be deprecated eventually and that will regrettably chill any future initiatives like this.

ImPostingOnHN 4y ago

that seems to be the problem the post purports to solve? if they don't handle the compliance hassle of FARS (and maybe DFARS), what is their value proposition?

pmorici 4y ago
Transferring funds between agencies or departments is onerous it isn’t substantially easier to do that than just going direct.