The Department of Defense (DoD) netted its highest grade on the FITARA (Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act) Scorecard yet, earning a C+ on the eighth version of the biannual scorecard released today by the House Oversight and Reform Committee.
While most agencies held steady in their grading, DoD made progress in its score since the last assessment in December 2018.
The higher grade was driven by the improvement of agency CIO authorities. While DoD earned an ‘F’ on the measure in December, the newest edition of the scorecard gives DoD an ‘A’ on the measure. The improvement stems from the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) providing more authorities for the CIO over the agency’s IT budget, and making the position a Senate-confirmed one.
Another factor in DoD’s rise up the scorecard is uncertainty around the Data Center Optimization Initiative (DCOI) score. While DoD’s ‘F’ grade on the DCOI measure harmed its score in the December version of the scorecard, the column is grayed out in the most recent version. Expect members of the Government Reform subcommittee to explain more about that at this afternoon’s hearing.
For the full details of the scorecard, and comparisons of DoD against other agencies, visit the FITARA Dashboard.