Censeo and Public Spend Forum Release Study on Public Sector IT Programs

Removing barriers to competition and encouraging Smart Risks Holds Promise for Successful IT Projects in the Federal Sector

Washington, DC, May 27, 2014 – Censeo Consulting Group and Public Spend Forum released a report titled, “Billions in the Balance: Removing Barriers to Competition and Driving Innovation in the Public Sector IT Market.” The study highlights the biggest challenges facing public sector IT programs, including a risk-averse “check the box” culture and a slow requirements and procurement process that lock out small and larger suppliers alike, depriving the government of much needed innovations available in the market.

“According to research, only 6% of large federal IT programs succeed, while the rest wallow in cost overruns, scope creep and schedule delays,” said David C. Wyid, co-author of the study and C.E. Laborde Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University. “Our study raises questions about how IT programs are managed, how leadership and better governance can head off problems, and how we can create more meaningful competition to drive more innovation.”

“Fixing government IT is going to require patience and will. But that does not mean we have to wait for years for some major reform legislation,” said Raj Sharma, co-author of the study and CEO of Censeo. “It is going to take serious leadership and talent and a change to government’s culture of avoiding failure at any cost. Obviously, that approach to risk has not worked and has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. It’s time for a different approach.”

A copy of the study can be found here.

Public Spend Forum focuses on providing policymakers, procurement professionals and vendors with a dynamic and thoughtful forum for discussion and debate, becoming the premiere global destination for public procurement.