OMB Issues Circular to Improve Data Sharing Between Federal Agencies

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a circular titled "Enhancing Acquisition Data Management" which aims to enhance agency access to dependable Government-wide acquisition data and streamline the contracting process by reducing duplication of data, tools, and efforts.

“The Federal Government generates tens of billions of acquisition data points in over 170 agency contract management systems and over 15 payment processing platforms. Historically, much of this data has been collected and managed at the agency level, which both limited the ability for agencies to make data-driven decisions in procurement and led to the duplication of effort and resources across the Government,” OMB said in the fact sheet.

This circular signifies a fundamental shift in the Government's approach to acquisition data management. It establishes the policy and technical framework enabling all agencies to scale and harness each agency's data for improved contracting outcomes.  

It further builds upon the principles of category management, which have yielded substantial cost efficiencies of nearly $90 billion over the past decade, the OMB noted.

Importantly, this circular also underscores that this data and information are crucial Government-wide assets to be strategically employed in the lifecycle management of Federal contracts.

Earlier this year, OMB launched the Federal Program Inventory (FPI) which brings data from 2,300 federal programs under one platform.

U.S. citizens, along with oversight bodies and congressional stakeholders will be able to access critical information about all Federal programs that provide grants, loans, or direct payments to individuals, governments, firms, or other organizations. 

The inventory leverages existing government data sources, including SAM.gov and USASpending.gov, to create an easy-to-use website for accessing program information.