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michael.heffner

User Profile Image michael.heffner
Member since : May-28-2009 (Verified)
1 Ideas, 8 Comments, 17 Votes

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Ideas Posted

Agencies should be encouraged to provide readily understandable details of policies and decision criteria that will be applied in, for example, an application process or other interaction with the government. These details should not simply be references to arcane legal documents, but should be citizen-centric explanations of the choices to be made and the consequences.

Similarly, agencies should have on their main portal (or on usa.gov) a comprehensive directory of services, and descriptions of all of their programs. Where a program has an effect on citizens (are there any that don’t?), there should be a clear discussion of the effects of the program, and how the program conducts its day-to-day business. If a program is related to other programs, especially if alternatives are available to the citizen for a given service or product, these should be clearly listed, and preferably linked. For example, if funds are available for a community effort from more than one program, then the agency site should provide the citizen with guidance on the alternatives and their advantages and disadvantages (or at least their relative features).

The intent of these policies is to provide citizens with a clear understanding of what each program does, how it does it, and what the outcomes and effects are for the citizens.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 4205 Ideas

Comments Posted

michael.heffner 9 months ago
This seems redundant. We don't (as far as I know) have a Federal Server Technologies Council. Doesn't the CIO Council already cover this. Maybe this is a council working group, a special interest group, or something similar -- it just doesn't seem to be at the same level as a CIO or CFO council. Perhaps the best option would be to make this a CIO Council Committee.
michael.heffner 9 months ago
I agree that no-bid contracting should be very limited. However, it makes sense to limit the number of bidders in some way -- otherwise, it becomes impossible to fairly weigh all of the proposals. Eligibility should recognize the principle of down-selecting the qualified bidders list based on demonstrable capabilities and a history of strong performance in the subject area.
michael.heffner 9 months ago
Is the suggestion that CPD should not be running debates? Should the government be running them?
michael.heffner 9 months ago
Would this idea be enhanced if there were feedback mechanisms to report latent errors that have been detected, or to suggest improvements?
michael.heffner 9 months ago
Would the effect of this be to limit what would be contributed, or is the implication of data.gov only to provide unrestricted data in the first place?
michael.heffner 9 months ago
And the money would go to whom? It doesn't make sense to take money away from government programs for this purpose.
michael.heffner 9 months ago
This seems to run counter to principles of local control. There must be benefits from citizens getting active to demand local governments be more accountable, rather than imposing such a requirement from the federal level.
michael.heffner 9 months ago
A little unclear what is really wanted here. Is the suggestion related to(1) the ability of contractors to opt out of public display; (2) the specific use of B&B; or (3) tracing of the ownership chain? I don't think URLs would be useful as these may change over time.