OMB to Lay Out New E-Gov Projects
A top OMB official said this week the president’s 2005 budget would contain the next wave of e-gov initiatives for the federal government. Many of the administration’s current e-gov projects – the 25 so-called 'Quicksilver initiatives' - are scheduled to be completed by next summer.

"OMB originally identified six areas for the next set of cross-agency [e-gov] projects. But based on an analysis by Touchstone Consulting Inc. of Washington, the agency decided the four areas that offer the best opportunities for cost savings and improved efficiency are: public-health monitoring, criminal investigation, human resources administration and financial management.

"The [25] e-government initiatives were the low-hanging fruit, and we are pretty much done with them," [OMB’s e-government and IT administrator Karen] Evans said. "The next set of projects will be harder, and if we overcome the barriers, we will see huge efficiencies gained for the government."