RESPONSE TO ADP PLANNING CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00933R000400030042-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 11, 2000
• Sequence Number: 42
• Content Type: REPORT

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6.5 1~
e> IT
RESPONSE TO ADP PLANNING CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS
BY
COMMISSIONER, ADTS
IAC
WASHINGTON, D. C.
June 15, 1976
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RESPONSE TO ADP PLANNING CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS
IAC PANEL SESSION
IT IS A DISTINCT PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU REGARDING OUR
VIEWS OF THE INTERAGENCY ADP COMMITTEE'S PLANNING
CONFERENCE HELD AT AIRLIE HOUSE THIS PAST FEBRUARY.
AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, THE AUTOMATED DATA AND TELE -
COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE OF THE GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION IS THE SPONSOR OF THE INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE
ON ADP AND WE THEREFORE TAKE KEEN INTEREST IN ITS ACTIVITIES.
I THINK IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEE BROAD SPECTRUM
OF DATA PROCESSING USERS AND PROVIDERS THAT ARE HERE
TODAY ARE ABLE TO HEAR ON A FIRST-HAND BASIS THE VIEW OF
GSA., OMB AND NBS ON THE PLANNING CONFERENCE.
FIRST AS SPONSORS, OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO ENSURE
CLOSER COORDINATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF
THE MANAGEMENT NEEDS FOR ADP IN 1970 AND
BEYOND.
SECOND WE FULLY EXPECTED THAT THE PEER GROUP OF
(GOVERNMENT ADP WOULD ARRIVE AT CONFLICTING
POSITIONS AND PRIORITIES.
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THIRD A HOPE FOR A BROADER PERSPECTIVE WAS
1 4;
DESIRED TO RECOGNIZE SOME CONDITIONS WHICH
ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL -- YET IT'S THE
WORLD WE LIVE IN.
LAST, AND HOPEFULLY, NOT LEAST, IT IS OUR DESIRE
TO BE SELF-CRITICAL OF OUR PERFORMANCE AND,
AT THE SAME TIME, TO DEMONSTRATE THE AWARE-
NESS AND COMMUNICATION FLOW (RECOGNIZE I DID
NOT SAY CONCURRENCE) BETWEEN ADTS, O: MB AND
NBS.
IN THAT RESPECT, I ALWAYS MARVEL AT THE FINESSE RUTH
HAS AT DEALING WITH COMPLEX ISSUES. I ALSO PAY ATTENTION
TO HOW WALLY ALWAYS MANAGES TO HAVE HIS CAKE AND EAT IT
TOO. THEY, OF COURSE, ARE ALWAYS WATCHING ME TO SEE IF
I AM GOING TO BITE OFF MORE THAN I CAN CHEW.
MY REMARKS ARE AIMED AT ADDRESSING THE GENERAL AREAS OF
RECOMMENDATIONS RATHER THAN EACH SPECIFIC ONE; FURTHER
I WILL DEFER TO BOTH RUTH AND WALLY TO ADDRESS THEIR
POSITIONS ON THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESSED TO
THEIR ORGANIZATIONS.
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IN ADDRESSING THE }RECOMMENDATIONS, I h. ~:OGNIIL THAT
THE FORMAT OF THE CONFERENCE CALLED FOR SIX
PANELS, WHICH WERE ESTABLISHED TO FOCUS ON MANY OF
THE KEY ISSUES FACING US TODAY. THEY WERE GIVEN FREE
REIGN TO DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND THE DIRECTION FOR FUTURE
ACTIONS. SOMETIMES THEY HIT THE MARK BUT THEN AGAIN
THEY OCCASIONALLY WENT A LITTLE FAR AFIELD. I DO NOT
WANT TO BE OVERLY CRITICAL OR DENIGRATE THE EFFORTS OF
THF: PEOPLE INVOLVED; AN OPEN ENVIRONMENT, NECESSARY
TO GERMINATE NEW AND VALUABLE INITIATIVES, OFTEN SPAWNS
AT LEAST AN EQUAL NUMBER OF STERILE IDEAS. MANY OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE AND DISCUSSED BEFORE.
OFTEN, HOWEVER, IT WAS IN ANOTHER CONTEXT OR ANOTHER
TIME. YET, SINCE MANY OF THESE ISSUES ARE STILL WITH US,
IT IS WORTHWHILE THAT THEY BE RAISED AGAIN TO ENSURE
THAT WE FOCUS ON THEM AND EVA LUATE WHETHER THE
CURRENT POSTURES ARE ADEQUATE OR NEW POSITIONS NEED
BE TAKEN.
IN EVALUATING THE RECOMMENDATIONS, IT WOULD APPEAR
THEY COVER THE BROAD SPECTRUM FROM PLATITUDES TO
ANSWERS TO REAL GUT ISSUES OF TODAY. EACH AREA AND
RECOMMENDATION HAS BEEN EVALUATED AS THE PASSIONED
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LSO
HASTILY ADD THAT IN MANY INSTATICES IT WOULD APPEAR
THAT WE WERE HEARING AN EMOTIONAL RATHER THAN A
REASONED PLEA.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE AREA OF OVERSIGHT ONE GOT THE
IMPRESSION IN MANY OF THE PANEL DISCUSSIONS THAT THE
CONFERENCE WAS VIEWED AS A 20TH CENTURY RUNYMEADE
WHERE AGENCIES WOULD BAN TOGETHER,AND SIGN A MAGNA
CARTA FREEING THEMSELVES FROM GSA's, OMB'S AND THE
CONGRESS' ADP OVERSIGHT ROLE. AS IT HAPPENS, TODAY
IS NEARLY THE 761ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE
MAG NNA CARTA, BUT, BEYOND THAT COINCIDENCE, I HAVE BAD
NEWS. WE, AND I MEAN ALL OF US, ARE IN FOR MORE OVER-
SIGHT, NOT LESS. ONE HAS ONLY TO REVIEW RECENT EVENTS
TO COME TO THIS CONCLUSION. THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA-
TION ACT AND THE PRIVACY ACT WERE IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH FELT WE WERE NOT CONDUCTING
OURSELVES IN THE WAY WE SHOULD. INDEED, PART OF THE
PRIVACY ACT SEEMED TO BE DIRECTED TOWARDS PROVIDING
GREATER VISIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY INTO HOW WE RUN
OUR ADP OPERATIONS. THERE IS GROWING CONGRESSIONAL
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REVIEW OVER AGENCIES' INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS PROCUREMENTS.
IN AREAS WHERE THEY SUSPECT ABUSES, TI1EY ARE REQUESTING
GAO AUDITS. OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS, WE HAVE SEEN
AUDITS IN THE AREAS OF ADP SECURITY AND AUTOMATED DECISION-
MAKING APPLICATIONS. BOTH OF THOSE GAO EFFORTS EXPOSED
NEW AREAS WHERE I AM AFRAID GREATER OVERSIGHT WILL BE
SOUGHT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE AVID INTEREST AND
CONCERN OF CONGRESS AND OMB HAS RESULTED IN EXTENDING
THE PROCUREMENT CYCLE FOR EVERY MAJOR SYSTEM WE HAVE
BEEN INVOLVED WITH DURING THIS FISCAL YEAR. THE PROBLEM
IS THAT IN VIRTUALLY EVERY CASE INADEQUATE DOCUMENTA-
TION OF REQUIREMENTS, COST ANALYSIS, OR SYSTEM DESIGN
HAS GENERATED GREATER SUSPICION BY THOSE WITH OVERSIGHT
RESPONSIBILITY. YET, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDA-
TIONS THAT TOUCHED UPON THE AREA OF OVERSIGHT.
ONE TALKED ABOUT INCREASINI THE DOLLAR THRESHOLD FOR
AUTOMATIC DELEGATION FOR TIIE COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT
OF ADP EQUIPMENT. ANOTHER ADDRESSED BLANKET DELEGA-
TIONS OF PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY. LET ME SAY RIGHT NOW,
THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THESE TWO PROPOSALS FOR
SOME TIME. WE ARE DEVELOPING THE CRITERIA TO BE USED FOR
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CERTIFYING AGENCIES TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN COMPETITIVE
PROCUREMENTS. IT MAY INVOLVE AN ANNUAL PROCUREMENT
PLAN WITH FOLLOW-UP AUDITS. THIS IS JUST ONE WAY WE
ARE CONSIDERING THE NOTION OF EXPANDED PROCUREMENT
AUTHORITY ADDRESSED BY THE. RECOMMENDATIONS. ANOTHER
PANEL REQUESTED CLARIFICATION OF GSA's ROLE IN REVIEWING
AGENCIES' APPLICATION PLANS ALTHOUGH A SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATION WAS NOT MADE. STILL ANOTHER PANEL
EVEN WENT SO FAR AS TO SAY THAT THERE WAS TOO MUCH
OVERSIGHT. THIS POSITION SEEMED JUSTIFIED BY MANY OF THE
AGENCY PARTICIPANTS. I AM SURE YOU ALL APPRECIATE THAT
TIIE VALUE OF OVERSIGHT IS ONE OF PERSPECTIVE DEPENDING
WHETHER YOU ARE THE OVERSEER OR THE OVERSEEN.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, LET'S RECOGNIZE JUST WHAT ADTS' ROLE
IS IN ADP MANAGEMENT. WE LOOK TO AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY
THEIR REQUIREMENTS. WE THEN EXPECT AN UNBIASED REVIEW
OF ALL RESOURCES AVAILABLE. TO SATISFY THE NEED: VIA
OFF-LOADING, SHARING, REUTILIZATION, ETC. THAT IS THE
PRINCIPAL SERVICE WE EXPECT TO PROVIDE. TO DO IT
ADEQUATELY, INFORMATION IS REQUIRED, ALSO, ON OUR PART;
RAPID, ACCURATE HANDLING IS NECESSARY -- NOT LIKE THE
STORY I HEARD THE OTHER DAY REGARDING A DEPARTMENT OF
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c;OMMERC1' RFI'. C-,SA WORK ON '1'11117' RFSt1L'JF) IN SOMI,' 1:U
T)RAI''TS AND TILE RI'P STILL CAME OUT POORLY. IT IS
SUGGESTED 'T'HAT WE MAD BETTER START GETTING OUR HOUSES
IN ORDER.
AGIENCII'S SHOULD NOW START TO DL" T'ERMINI' JUST WHAT
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS IT HAS, WHETHER THEY
ARE RESPONSIVE TO BOTI1 AGENCIES AND PUBLIC NEEDS.
UNLESS WE DO `PHIS OURSELVES, SOMEBODY WILL TELL US TO
1)O IT, 13L'T WORSE, WILL TELL US HOW TO DO IT.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGI.-I, THIS RECOMMENDATION WAS MADE
1',Y TWO SEPARATE PANELS AT AIRLIE HOUSE. I THINK THIS
WAS THE MOST INNOVATIVE AND REI.,EVANT RECOMMENDATION
TO EMERGE AT THE CONFERENCE.
IN THE AREA OF SHARING, A RECOMMENDATION WAS MADE TI-IAT
(',SA COLLECT AND MAKE AVAILABLE MORE I)ETAILED iNFORMA-
ZION REGARDING THE CAPABILI''TES OF SYSTEMS WHICH HAVE
TIME AVAILABLE FOR SHARING AND THAT SUCH INFORMATION BE
MADE AVAILABLE ON-LINE TO HANDLE INQUIRIES AT GSA REGIONS.
WL HAVE RECOGNIZED SUCH A NEED FOR QUITE A WHILE AND HAVE,
RIGHT NOW, IN THE FINAL DESIGN PHASE, A REVISION TO OUR
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ADP MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT WOULD MAIN-
TAIN AND MAKE AVAILABLE SUCI-I DATA. IT SHOULD BE
IMPLEMENTED 31-Y LATE SUMMER OF NEXT YEAR.
ANOTIIER RECOMMENDATION IN TIIE AREA OF SInARiNG WAS TO
USE THE ADP REVOLVING FUND AS A FINANCING VEHICLE TO
PROMOTE GREATER UTILIZATION OF THE EXISTING EQUIPMENT
INVENTORY. WE SUPPORT SUCH A CONCEPT, HOWEVER, ONCE
WE START AUGMENTING EXISTING EQUIPMENT THROUGH WHAT-
EVER MEANS ARE EMPLOYED TO MEET OTHER AGENCY REQUIRE-
MENTS, WE ARE NO LONGER IN THE SHARING PROGRAM. RATHER,
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ESTABLISHING JOINT USE OR FEDERAL
DATA PROCESSING CENTERS. WE ARE CURRENTLY EXAMINING
A NUMBER OF SUCH OPPORTUNITIES AND HOPE TO EXPAND TIIIS
ACTIVITY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME ADHERING TO THE POLICY
ENUNCIATED IN OMB CIRCULAR A-76.
THE, RE WERE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING BOTH
SHARING AND SOFTWARE. ALTHOUGH NO ONE PANEL HAD
RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF SOFTWARE AT
THE PLANNING CONFERENCE, IT WAS QUITE INTERESTING TO
NOTE THAT MANY OF THE GROUPS DID TOUCH UPON THE PROBLEM
OF HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN MORE ECONOMICALLY
AND EFFICIENTLY ACQUIRE AND UTILIZE SOFTWARE. I THINK A
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BRIEF REVIEW OF GSA'S EFFORTS TO DATE IN THIS AREA AND
SOME OF THE TIDINGS WE WILL BE DOING IN '`-TIF NEAR FUTURE
WILL INDICATE THAT WE ARE BEING RESPONSIVE TO MANY OF
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OFFERED AT THE PLANNING CONFER-
ENCE.
THE SOFTWARE EXCHANGE PROGRAM HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED
WITII THE 'PUBLICATION' OF AN FPMR AMENDMENT IN MARCH
OF THIS YEAR. UNDER THIS PROGRAM, AGENCIES WILL BE
REQUIRED TO REVIEW THE CATALOGUE OF SOFTWARE ALREADY
I EVELOPED AND AVAILABLE FOR SHARING PRIORTO DEVELOPING
OR PROCURING NEW SOFTWARE PROGRAMS. A DELEGATION OIL'
AUTHORI'T'Y HAS BEEN MADE TO THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL
INFORMATION SERVICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE TO
OPERATE THE PROGRAM, AND THE PROGRAM WILL BE
ADMINISTERED UNDER GSA'S ADP REVOLVING FUND. THE NOTION
OF A FEDERAL SOFTWARE EXCHANGE PROGRAM HAS BEEN AROUND
FOR MANY YEARS. HAVING FINALLY GOTTEN OFF THE LAUNCHING
PAD, GSA AND OMB WILL VERY CLOSELY MONITOR HOW IT IS
OPERATING AND AGENCIES' PARTICIPATION IN IT. I THINK IT IS
PREMATURE, AT THIS TIME, TO GUESS AT FUTURE DIRECTIONS
FOR THE PROGRAM AS IMPLIED BY ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS
AT THE PLANNING CONFERENCE. IT PROPOSED THERE BE A
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RECOGNIZED, PERMANENTLY STAFFED CENTRAL AGENCY TO
COORDINATE AND PROMOTE SOFTWARE SHARING AMONGST
AGENCIES. WE AT GSA WOULD RATHER START OPERATION OF
THE FEDERAL SOFTWARE EXCHANGE PROGRAM AS CURRENTLY
ENVISIONED AND DOCUMENT AND ASSESS THE OPERATI
ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE PROGRAM BEFORE WE ESTABLISH
WHICH
AN INSTITUTIONAL ORGANIZATION BEYOND TIIAT/IS ALREADY
IN PLACE. A RECOMMENDATION WAS MADE TO ESTABLISH AN
INTERAGENCY ADVISORY GROUP REGARDING THE OPERATIONS
OF THE SOFTWARE EXCHANGE PROGRAM. WE ARE CURRENTLY
EVALUATING THAT TO DETERMINE ITS UTILITY IN MAKING THE
CONCEPT OF SHARING OF SOFTWARE A SUCCESS.
RELATED TO THE NOTION OF MORE EFFICIENT ACQUISITION AND
UTILIZATION OF SOFTWARE, THE `CONFERENCE DID RECOMMEND
GREATER USE OF THE ADP FUND IN THIS AREA. WE HAVE A
PROJECT UNDERWAY AT GSA DIRECTED TO THE COMPETITIVE
ACQUISITION OF COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE PACKAGES FOR FEDERAL
AGENCY USE. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE TARGETING IN ON COBOL
DOCUMENTATION PACKAGES IN THAT NOT ONLY COULD WE
ACQUIRE SUCH PACKAGES AT LESS COST THAN WE ARE CURRENTLY
DOING, BUT IT WOULD FACILITATE THEIR AVAILABILITY TO
AGENCIES TO ASSIST THEM IN THEIR SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION
EFFORTS.
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