The problem here isn't with "government," but with the failed ERP-style methodology of development that federal and local governments, along with very large cor

The problem here isn't with "government," but with the failed ERP-style methodology of development that federal and local governments, along with very large corporations use to develop technology. Hewlett Packard, Hershey, along with a string of other large corporations have lost billions in value from these kinds of integrations. Hershey even missed Halloween one year because of a failed integration. And while Silicon Valley and the startup community has largely moved away from this methodology, large bureaucracies, ever afraid of risk, seem drawn to them. But as far as I can tell, this idea that "nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM" is a function of marketing, not of a track record of success (IBM's latest for the feds: http://sam.gov http://sam.gov. $171 Million). What we can do to solve this problem isn't to scoff and laugh at government. While some want larger or smaller government, we all should want it to do what it is doing affordably. The opportunity for smart technologists to take on the idea of working with government commercially is the next step in the Civic Hacking movement. I hope those invited to go to their next hackathon for the city or invited to give their free advice and labor to the city out of a sense of civic duty, begin to ask the question: why are you asking me for stuff for free with one hand, whilst handing out million dollar contracts with the other. How can you fix procurement in a way that allows me to compete for the serious work, so that I can save you from this mess?