WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US federal government’s information technology initiatives that cost more than $80 billion annually have failed to reach desired outcomes, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on Wednesday.
“Although the executive branch has undertaken numerous initiatives to better manage the more than $80 billion that is annually invested in information technology (IT), federal IT investments too frequently fail or incur cost overruns and schedule slippages while contributing little to mission-related outcomes,” the report said.
The GAO issues a biannual report on government operations to identify “high risk areas” due to vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement, as well as the need for changes to address economy and efficiency.
The government improved on 18 out of 30 areas identified as “high-risk”, but information technology is one area where the federal government has failed to implement new and effective policies, according to the GAO.
The GAO said over the past five years it has reported shortcomings with information technology acquisitions and operations, and issued 737 recommendations, but the government implemented only 23 percent of them.
“Given the federal government’s continued experience with failed and troubled IT projects, coupled with the fact that Office of Management and Budget initiatives to help address such problems have not been fully implemented, the government will likely continue to produce disappointing results and will miss opportunities to improve IT management, reduce costs, and improve services to the public, unless needed actions are taken,” the GAO said.
The GAO said federal agencies should fully implement its recommendations and comply with legislation enacted in 2014 to improve information technology acquisition and effectiveness.
