Bush Earmarks $60B for IT

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's proposed $60 billion IT spending plan for 2005 looks to deliver a "service-centered" government, said Karen Evans, chief administrator for the Office of E-Government and Information Technology.

"We're trying to make sure investment is not being driven by the technology or the bureaucracy," Evans said Tuesday in a keynote address to the IT Service Management Forum sponsored by Jupitermedia Corp. , the parent company of this Web site. "We want the technology to provide the service to produce the desired outcome for citizens."

Evans, the White House's top IT administrator, said since several agencies engage in redundant services, her job was to "streamline our service delivery and to move in partnership with industry to learn lessons industry has already learned."

The proposed $60 billion IT budget represents a "modest increase" over 2004's $59 billion spent on computers, software and technology-related services.

"We need to get the most value out of our dollars that we committing to IT," Evans said. "We need to know how services are delivered, what are the results, what are the outcomes. It is no longer enough to have good fiscal management, good cyber-security. It's not enough to hit the mark and maintain. We want to know what are you going to do next?"

Included in Bush's $60 billion IT budget is $529.8 million for the Commerce Dept.'s Technology Administration, much of which is earmarked for nanotechnology and cyber-security. The Technology Administration includes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Office of Technology Policy (OTP), and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).

Bush's request for NIST is $521.5 million, including $422.9 million for scientific and technical research and services. The OTP is seeking $8.3 million while the NTIS covers its operating costs through fees for its products and services.

"This budget request represents a significant investment in our science and technology infrastructure that would enable us to both win the war on terror and remain competitive around the world," Under Secretary of Technology Phillip J. Bond said in a statement.

The NIST Laboratory budget includes several research projects, including $15.6 million for nanotechnology research to advance manufacturing, electronics and semiconductors, medical technologies.

Another $18.6 million is tabbed for research for public safety and security, including: improved technology for building construction and for the safety of emergency first responders; measurement technologies for chemical agents and other threats; biometrics; and cyber-security.

The 2005 budget also seeks $16.2 million for research on quantum-level computing and communications systems and other projects.