TECHNOLOGY AND THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT

The General Services Administration has approved universal sign-in applications for use on government Web sites, provided by Equifax, Google and Paypal, that will allow citizens who are securely logged in to one site to instantly and safely switch to another agency site without having to log in again.

The so-called Open Identity Exchange applications are expected to expedite access to government services by giving users a single ID credential that all privacy-protected federal sites will accept.

Watch Nextgov news for more details. . .

Agencies continue to innovate in response to the Obama administration's open government initiatives, said panelists at a Wednesday event sponsored by Government Executive, Nextgov's sister publication.

Animated officials and an interested audience highlighted "pockets of excellence" in agencies' rollout of open government Web sites, along with a push to expand employee blogging, the potential for expanded social media use and well-attended online public forums.

Running an effective dialogue is about two-way conversation, said Dave McClure, associate administrator at the General Service Administration's Office of Citizen Services, adding that there are about 500 moderators running the public forums on agencies' open pages. Strong discussions are happening at Health and Human Services, Education and Interior, among others, he said.

But the open government directive isn't just about soliciting feedback from the public. HHS has created a cross-agency team to weave the principles of openness and transparency into day-to-day operations, and officials are tapping the workforce for ideas. After all, said HHS Chief Technology Officer Todd Park, it's "not something you can outsource to one dude."

The panelists alluded to several recent and upcoming developments in the administration's transparency push:

• USA.gov will see a redesign this year, bringing its look, feel and function up to date, according to McClure.


• McClure also said that government may see a growing culture of cross-agency collaboration with internal Facebook or Wikipedia capabilities as policy developments help draw the line between personal and official communication capacities.


• HHS is building a toolkit to encourage people across the agency to blog, said Park, adding that he would love to see widespread staff blogging.

The General Services Administration wants to know: How has USA.gov, the all-encompassing government information portal, made your life easier?

The agency on Monday announced it would offer $2,500 to the most entertaining, creative or inspiring video detailing the pros of USA.gov. Until April 2, the public can upload 30- to 90-second videos to the contest's YouTube page and then submit an official entry form. GSA's Office of Citizen Services will judge the entries.

Though agencies recently have upped the frequency of YouTube contests--Health and Human Services in the fall judged flu-related public service announcements, and the Smithsonian accepted video feedback from visitors--the question "what have we done right?" rarely makes the cut. Agencies have solicited suggestions for greener government and cost-cutting practices, so will figuring out what's going well also help inform development?

Do you know a federal manager who recently took risks to push through a bold idea, policy or program that uses technology to make government work better or improve public services? If so, we'd like to hear your story by nominating your colleague for a Nextgov Award.

The Nextgov Award program, developed in partnership with O'Reilly Media Inc. and TechWeb, will recognize government executives who stepped outside their comfortable confines to think and manage differently. They acted boldly to push through an innovative program, policy or new management practice that relied on technology to move government in a new direction, to challenge employees to think and work differently, and that ultimately improved the lives of citizens.

We know there are many managers who have done just that, and we want you to tell us about them by nominating them for a Nextgov Award. The deadline is March 12, but we suggest you don't wait. Visit the nomination page and spend just a few minutes filling out the form. We'll tell the stories of the winners later this spring on Nextgov.

A panel of respected judges will make choose the winners, who will be honored at a luncheon on May 27 at the Gov 2.0 Expo at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The expo is co-sponsored by O'Reilly Media Inc. and TechWeb, and Nextgov is the premier media sponsor.

When it comes to brainstorming solutions for just about anything, federal agencies under the Obama administration like to turn first to their employee suggestion boxes -- which often are attached to major rewards.

Federal Computer Week on Friday reported that the General Services Administration is offering a $25,000 prize to the most innovative idea for revamping the E-Gov Travel Service, an online travel management program plagued by administrative and cost concerns. The request is part of the administration's open innovation strategy, which looks to the public to solve problems.

This contest is just the latest in a series of agency requests for employee or public input. The Office of Management and Budget in September launched the Securing Americans Value and Efficiency Awards, which asked feds for cost-cutting strategies. The agency in December announced that Nancy Fichtner of the Veterans Affairs Department would present her winning idea to Obama for inclusion in the fiscal 2011 budget.

The White House in October held the GreenGov Challenge, a call for federal employees and military members to submit their best clean energy ideas. The contest generated more than 5,300 responses, some of which were presented to the steering committee on federal sustainability in early November.

Nextgov has launched the Nextgov Awards, an inaugural program to recognize federal managers who have shepherded a program, policy or management practice that is not only innovative, but bold and brave.

Yes, we know, there are a lot of awards programs in government. But when we asked federal managers and industry executives what is missing, they told us unanimously: No awards recognize federal employees who took on risks -- personal, political and otherwise -- and boldly acted to see their idea to fruition. Or if their idea died, at least they took on entrenched bureaucratic interests in an attempt to make government better through the use of technology.

We invite you to visit our awards page to learn more and to nominate someone who fits the criteria. The technology isn't the reason for the award, but the bold idea must rely on it in some way. And we encourage you to tell us a story about the individuals you nominate. We want you to wow us because we know there are dozens of stories of federal employees trying to improve government and the lives of citizens, but they are up against big odds. Yet, they have acted bravely and with resolve to bring about change. We want to know about them, the drama they faced and the results they achieved. And, of course, the technology they used.

The winners of the Nextgov Awards will be honored at a luncheon at TechWeb's Gov 2.0 Expo in May. (Nextgov is a TechWeb partner for the event.) We'd love to see you there.

More to come.

The Senate confirmed Martha Johnson as General Services Administration administrator on Thursday, nearly 10 months after her nomination to the post.

The conflict over Johnson's appointment compelled President Obama to speak up on her behalf. On Wednesday, at the Senate Democratic Policy Committee Issues Conference, he asked lawmakers not to hold her "hostage."

Johnson previously served in various posts at GSA, the Commerce Department and the Office of Presidential Personnel. She is the agency's first permanent administrator in nearly two years following the terms of Acting Administrators Paul Prouty and Stephen Leeds.

Martha Johnson, whose confirmation to head the General Services Administration has been held up for months by Senate Republicans, may be at work as early as Friday, say sources knowledgeable about the process. The Senate is expected to vote to close debate and move on her confirmation via unanimous consent.

The confirmation of Johnson has grown increasingly heated, with President Obama jumping into the debate on Wednesday. According to Federal Times, the president, appearing at the Senate Democratic Policy Committee Issues Conference, said:

Nobody can tell me that there's anything particularly wrong with her. They're blocking her because of some unrelated matter. Don't hold this, this woman hostage.

The delay, since April 2009, was the possibly the cause behind resignaitons of at least two top execs at GSA. From Government Executive in January:

Danielle Germain, named GSA's chief of staff in June, stepped down, citing the lengthy delay in Johnson's nomination. Meanwhile, Barnaby Brasseux, who served as GSA's deputy administrator since September 2008, retired in early January.