Rock Creek Roundup (March 26 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Mar 26, 2010 0 Comments

Federal agencies aren’t “ready to let loose,” the VA plans on adding social media services, the GSA helps agencies weed out bad vendors, and the catchy tune coming out of the cubicle beside you may not be what you think, all in this week’s version of the Rock Creek Roundup.

—“They aren’t ready to let loose.” That’s how the Department of Interior’s Land Management CIO Ronnie Levine described federal agency leaders’ reaction to new technology at the FOSE 2010 Conference this week. In his presentation, Levine outlined the reasons why older leaders may have difficulty embracing technology—factors like a “command and control” culture and a heavy workload focused on meeting compliance guidelines topped the list—and pinpointed ways that younger workers can help have a positive impact on how their organization views and interacts with technology. Levine’s advice to focus on the ROI that the technology brings is one that we’ve seen work with our own clients, and as new tools are developed to measure the true dollar impact of new media and social media, proving their value should be easier for agencies to do.

—The Veteran’s Administration’s online healthcare portal HealtheVet already allows vets to reorder prescriptions, access their health records, and keep health journals, but according to the VA’s Gail Graham, the agency is likely to be adding a number of social media tools to the website in the near future. Potential applications include chat and secure messaging where veterans can get more information on how to navigate the benefits process, and online scheduling that would allow vets to set up appointments without having to pick up the phone. Kudos to the VA for asking vets what features are important to them and then listening and acting on their answers—nice work!

—Is the vendor you’re considering for an upcoming contract a shiny gem or a bad egg? Thanks to a new database launched by the General Services Administration, now you can find out. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) lets contracting officers and acquisition pros provide and search for feedback on how vendors are able to meet legislative and regulatory guidelines. Officials say that the database will ultimately save taxpayer dollars by weeding out vendors who underperform—which, as both a government vendor and an office full of taxpayers, sounds like a good idea to us.

—So you walk past your colleague’s cubicle to see him tapping his toes and bopping his head to the beat of a new YouTube video. Is it the latest hit by Beyonce or Radiohead that’s giving him an urge to boogie? Maybe—but it could also be a little ditty called “Health Reform by the Numbers“, a video that combines a catchy tune, stark graphics, and quantitative information to provide viewers with facts about the Health Care Reform bill that was recently passed. Nicely done!

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Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

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