Federal agencies will spend nearly $6 billion by fiscal year 2009 on E-government technology, predicts government IT market-intelligence firm Input. That's up from $4 billion in fiscal 2004, which ended Sept. 30. Much of the E-government spending will be done by the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, Input says. The primary factors behind the growth of E-government initiatives include the President's Management Agenda, which encourages adoption of tech solutions; increased oversight by the White House Office of Management and Budget; and federal laws that promote Web- and IT-based improvements to government processes, Input said in a report issued Thursday. The greatest growth in new E-government initiatives will involve government-to-business technology, according to the report.
Much of the work to implement the E-government initiatives will be done by outside contractors, said Chris Campbell, Input senior analyst for federal market analysis. "Due to expected record level retirement of skilled federal IT employees over the next few years," he said in a statement, "agencies will increasingly look outside for technical expertise."
Software used for E-government will be the fastest-growing segment of E-government spending, Input predicts. Over the next five years, Input says, the E-government software market will grow 36% to $970 million in 2009, up from $680 million in 2004. "Due to the nature of E-government programs," Campbell said, "much of the work is targeted at specific areas of operation, such as Web development." Agency IT managers, he said, will seek contractors with subject matter expertise rather than large-scale integrators.
Autor: Eric Chabrow
Quelle: Information Week, 07.01.2005
