5 ms·

For folks interested in helping solve the root cause of these sorts of things ... the White House is looking for people to help build a streamlined procurement

For folks interested in helping solve the root cause of these sorts of things ... the White House is looking for people to help build a streamlined procurement process: http://www.whitehouse.gov/innovationfellows/rfpez http://www.whitehouse.gov/innovationfellows/rfpez ... hopefully making it possible for vendors build government web projects with bids for less than $150k, instead of millions of dollars per web site.

tomjen3 14y ago
Sorry, but for a hacker streamlining procurement procedures sounds like a huge and extreemly boring timesink. Wouldn't this be something an mba would love anyway?
- jashkenas 14y ago
  Some folks might consider it a boring timesink. But it also happens to be the important meta-problem that stands between us and increased government transparency and accessibility. Take almost any government data set, request / report interface, tax service, or help center you can imagine. It's very hard to believe that we'll ever have a quality online version without first fixing the procurement process.
- nine_k 14y ago
  If you are a citizen and want to make federal government more effective and less expensive, why not?
- wpietri 14y ago
  I think it would be something awesome to work on. I'm in software to make a difference, and dropping a digit or two off the cost of government projects could be quite an impact.
  - BHSPitMonkey 14y ago
    More money to allocate to the defense budget!
    - mseebach 14y ago
      If that's the democratically decided priority and it can be achieved without cutting other budgets, raising taxes or running a deficit, then that's a good thing. Conversely, fighting a bloated military by wasting money on IT boondoggles is not a strategy with a whole lot of long term potential IMO.
      - bradleyjg 14y ago
        Tell that to the people being bombed. Defense my ass.
        mseebach 14y ago
        Tell what to the people being bombed? That you're hard at work changing their fortune by refusing to reform the IT procurement process of the US government? They will be eternally grateful.
        wpietri 14y ago
        As a USian, sometimes it seems like the high cost of war is the only reason we haven't invaded yet more countries. The vast cost is certainly one of the few arguments that has resonance across the political spectrum.
        mseebach 14y ago
        Given the willingness of the US government to run huge deficits, I don't see how fighting waste in completely different areas of government would enable the country to go war. Never mind that we're taking about saving millions, while the last two wars each cost trillions. Or 100,000 Census Bureau websites as discussed in the article.
        bradleyjg 14y ago
        ... that more money allocated to the 'defense' budget is a good thing.
- GFischer 14y ago
  A hacker that's also an MBA? :) I'm sure somebody thinks this is an interesting challenge to tackle. The Uruguayan equivalent (AGESIC) did make a pretty nifty website for government procurement: http://comprasestatales.gub.uy http://comprasestatales.gub.uy explanation in Spanish: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/UNPAN022424.pdf http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/... English translation (Google): http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/UNPAN022424.pdf&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcosto%2Bsitio%2Bcomprasestatales%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dimages%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dnwj%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-ES:official%26prmd%3Dimvns&sa=X&ei=EeD9T_CMCITv0gGU3YT0Bg&ved=0CG8Q7gEwBw http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=... It's a good initiative, but it has the side effect of making my blood pressure rise when I see the awarded projects (all relatively transparent, but still bad contracts)
- trentmb 14y ago
  It's no more boring than half the stupid start-ups that get mentioned here.
bostonvaulter2 14y ago
In terms of streamlining a procurement process, you should definitely take a look at Cyber Fast Track which is a huge streamlining of the DARPA process for awarding grants (maybe procurement) done by Peiter Zakto (Mudge). http://www.cft.usma.edu/ http://www.cft.usma.edu/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peiter_Zatko http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peiter_Zatko

tomjen3 14y ago

Sorry, but for a hacker streamlining procurement procedures sounds like a huge and extreemly boring timesink. Wouldn't this be something an mba would love anyway?

jashkenas 14y ago
Some folks might consider it a boring timesink. But it also happens to be the important meta-problem that stands between us and increased government transparency and accessibility. Take almost any government data set, request / report interface, tax service, or help center you can imagine. It's very hard to believe that we'll ever have a quality online version without first fixing the procurement process.
nine_k 14y ago
If you are a citizen and want to make federal government more effective and less expensive, why not?
wpietri 14y ago
I think it would be something awesome to work on. I'm in software to make a difference, and dropping a digit or two off the cost of government projects could be quite an impact.
- BHSPitMonkey 14y ago
  More money to allocate to the defense budget!
  - mseebach 14y ago
    If that's the democratically decided priority and it can be achieved without cutting other budgets, raising taxes or running a deficit, then that's a good thing. Conversely, fighting a bloated military by wasting money on IT boondoggles is not a strategy with a whole lot of long term potential IMO.
    - bradleyjg 14y ago
      Tell that to the people being bombed. Defense my ass.
      - mseebach 14y ago
        Tell what to the people being bombed? That you're hard at work changing their fortune by refusing to reform the IT procurement process of the US government? They will be eternally grateful.
        wpietri 14y ago
        As a USian, sometimes it seems like the high cost of war is the only reason we haven't invaded yet more countries. The vast cost is certainly one of the few arguments that has resonance across the political spectrum.
        mseebach 14y ago
        Given the willingness of the US government to run huge deficits, I don't see how fighting waste in completely different areas of government would enable the country to go war. Never mind that we're taking about saving millions, while the last two wars each cost trillions. Or 100,000 Census Bureau websites as discussed in the article.
        bradleyjg 14y ago
        ... that more money allocated to the 'defense' budget is a good thing.
GFischer 14y ago
A hacker that's also an MBA? :) I'm sure somebody thinks this is an interesting challenge to tackle. The Uruguayan equivalent (AGESIC) did make a pretty nifty website for government procurement: http://comprasestatales.gub.uy http://comprasestatales.gub.uy explanation in Spanish: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/UNPAN022424.pdf http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/... English translation (Google): http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/Other/UNPAN022424.pdf&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcosto%2Bsitio%2Bcomprasestatales%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dimages%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3Dnwj%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:es-ES:official%26prmd%3Dimvns&sa=X&ei=EeD9T_CMCITv0gGU3YT0Bg&ved=0CG8Q7gEwBw http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=... It's a good initiative, but it has the side effect of making my blood pressure rise when I see the awarded projects (all relatively transparent, but still bad contracts)
trentmb 14y ago
It's no more boring than half the stupid start-ups that get mentioned here.

bostonvaulter2 14y ago

In terms of streamlining a procurement process, you should definitely take a look at Cyber Fast Track which is a huge streamlining of the DARPA process for awarding grants (maybe procurement) done by Peiter Zakto (Mudge). http://www.cft.usma.edu/ http://www.cft.usma.edu/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peiter_Zatko http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peiter_Zatko