The federal government's inability -- or unwillingness -- to create an easily searchable database for contracts has long been a sore subject for open government advocates in Washington. For years, reporters and researchers have had to slog through several poorly designed and piecemeal electronic warehouses. The best known (or most infamous) might be the Federal Procurement Data System here. Its bastard stepchildren live here. And here.
But the government has promised to shape up and create an easy-to-use central system for tracking contracts. In fact, it's been ordered to. A law enacted last year requires the disclosure of federal contract information on a "single searchable website accessible by the public at no cost" by Jan. 1, 2008. The Office of Management and Budget will run the database and, last month, put up a preliminary site to solicit feedback from Joe Citizen. Here's the site's initial pitch, written by someone who sounds like he used to sell Flowbees on late-night TV:
Why, yes, actually. I have and I would. And can you throw in a Chia Pet, please?
In another interesting wrinkle, The Hill reported yesterday that one of the OMB's chief antagonists, watchdog group OMB Watch, has partnered up with the government agency to help smooth the transition from mass confusion to mega database. OMB Watch runs its own searchable database of government contracts. On working so closely with an agency that it has assailed for so many years, OMB Watch had this to say: "It has been extremely odd."
