COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Executive Order 65 (00)

Implementing Electronic Government in the Commonwealth of Virginia

By virtue of the authority vested in me under Article V of the Constitution of Virginia and under the laws of the Commonwealth, including but not limited to Sections 2.1-39.1 and 2.1-41.1 of the Code of Virginia, and subject always to my continuing and ultimate authority and responsibility to act in such matters, I hereby establish the policies and procedures to accelerate and implement electronic government and related technology initiatives. To carry out these policies and procedures, and without altering the powers and duties of the Geographic Information Network Division and the Division of Public Safety Communication, I hereby direct that an Electronic Government Implementation Division be established within the Department of Technology Planning.

Preamble

Since 1994, when Virginia became only the second state government to establish a web Site, the Commonwealth has been a leader in using technology to deliver information and services to her citizens through the Internet. State agencies and institutions now provide a wealth of information and interactive services online. These efforts have continued and intensified under the direction of Executive Order 51(1999), which called in part for the development of plans by each Executive Branch agency and institution of higher education for the delivery or expansion of services through the Internet. While there has been significant progress in implementing the recommendations of the Governor’s Commission on Information Technology, it is clear that the Commonwealth is only beginning the deployment of ‘electronic government."

"Electronic Government’ is an important endeavor that will enable citizens and businesses to interact with a more streamlined, service-oriented government. In this environment, citizens and businesses will not simply receive information or participate in transactions passively. Rather, they will become involved in a more active dialog with their state government. Successful e-government will be achieved when all Virginia’s citizens and communities are efficiently using the tools of technology, especially the Internet, to actively participate in their state government.

The Commonwealth must now move aggressively to fully implement these electronic government initiatives to assure that Virginians benefit substantially from the convenience, accuracy, and efficiency of interfacing with government and education via the Internet.

The Commonwealth’s Year 2000 (Y2K) project, led by the Century Date Change Initiative Project Office, demonstrated that a comprehensive project management approach applied statewide can efficiently guide large-scale initiatives to a successful conclusion. Emerging from this effort were a number of lessons learned, which together form a set of "best practices" that
provide a framework for managing projects at a statewide level in recognition of their inherent risks and benefits.

Project management is foremost about managing change in an organization, whether the change is mandated by external factors or motivated by internal factors related to improving organizational effectiveness. I hereby direct the Electronic Government Implementation Division to work to ensure that project management is consistently applied to the initiatives included in this executive order.

Part 1: Electronic Government Implementation Division

In carrying out the policies and procedures set forth in this Order, the Electronic Government Implementation Division shall work closely with Executive Branch agencies and institutions of higher education to determine the most effective and efficient means of rapidly moving more state government services to the Internet. The Division shall be responsible for:

Part 2: Specific Initiatives

The Electronic Government Implementation Division shall work with other Executive Branch agencies, as necessary, to coordinate a successful implementation of the following electronic government initiatives, already in various stages of development that will further the Commonwealth’s e-government effort.

A. Electronic Procurement

There are few areas of government administration that the Internet is changing faster or more dramatically than procurement. Not only does web-based technology allow faster, more accurate purchasing and contracting, but also it allows for greater competition for goods and services and the ability to compare prices, offers, and value.

Last year, the Department of General Services inaugurated its E-Mall, a central procurement web site for the Commonwealth, offering information, links to state contracts and solicitations, access to a growing number of vendor catalogs, and the beginning stages of Internet purchasing capability. Virginia’s E-Mall, one of the most comprehensive in the nation, is the first step toward a more comprehensive electronic procurement process available to all state agencies, universities, and local governments.

Virginia must continue to move aggressively to take advantage of the substantial benefits derived from widespread and regular use of the Internet for purchasing and procurement. Toward that end, I hereby direct the Department of General Services to implement the statewide electronic procurement system authorized by Item 75 (b) of the 2000 Appropriation Act by:

The Secretary of Finance and the Departments of Treasury, Planning and Budget, and Accounts shall cooperate with the Department of General Services to explore and select the most viable financing options for developing the electronic procurement system, as required by Item 75 (B) of the 2000 Appropriation Act.

Upon completion of the statewide electronic procurement system, I hereby direct all Executive Branch agencies and institutions to take advantage of its benefits to the fullest extent possible.

B. Administrative Applications

The Commonwealth is widely recognized for the innovative ways in which many agencies are harnessing the Internet to deliver information and services to citizens and businesses & Agencies and institutions are aggressively using the tools offered by new technologies to better meet citizens’ expectations and to serve their needs.

This same technology must also be applied to make government operate more efficiently and to allow state employees to become more productive. Web-based technology can be applied to a wide range of administrative processes within state government, used by virtually every agency, to make them more efficient. These processes include, but are not limited to, employee benefits administration, leave reporting and accounting, travel planning and booking, motor pool reservations, and expense reporting.

I hereby direct the Electronic Government Implementation Division, with the cooperation and assistance of the Governor’s Cabinet and the Council on Technology Services, to:

C. Digital Signatures

Electronic security and authentication are integral components of successful e-government To fully utilize the Internet in conducting the essential functions of government, the Commonwealth must have a means to provide assurance that the participating parties are who they claim to be and that the contents of their communications and transactions have not been altered. Digital signatures, through the use of security measures such as "public key infrastructure (PKI)," are designed to establish identity by employing a "Certificate Authority" to provide signature authentication.

Through the efforts of the Council on Technology Services, four state agencies and two local governments have agreed to participate in projects to demonstrate the use of this security technology. The successful completion of this first stage should result in the following:

I direct Executive Branch agencies and institutions to take advantage of the benefits of digital signature technology to the fullest extent possible.

D. Privacy and Security

E. Seat Management

Virginia is the national leader in initiating a state government-wide contract for the provision of computer services at each state employee’s desk or "seat" through a private sector contract for "seat management services." Under the seat management contract, the customer agency pays one fixed fee for all desktop or laptop personal computing services including hardware, software, maintenance, and help desk. The vendor must meet prescribed service levels to earn that fee.

The seat management contract will bring a number of benefits to participating agencies, including:

The Commonwealth has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to have a contract in place by September of 2000. Services under the contract will be available to state agencies, institutions of higher education, and local governments.

The Electronic Government Implementation Division will coordinate the implementation of seat management by:

Once the seat management contract is in place. I direct all Executive Branch agencies and institutions to take advantage of its benefits where implementing seat management would be cost effective and would facilitate timely fulfillment of their missions.

F. Digital Opportunities

The Digital Opportunities initiative addresses the growing disparity between those Virginians who have access to the Internet and related technology and those who do not. The goal is to establish a community-based infrastructure, in partnership with government and industry, that will help ensure access to computers and the Internet for all citizens without barriers of race,
income, education level, geography, and disability. This action will enable all Virginians to fully participate in the Commonwealth’s economic, political, and social life.

Toward that end, I hereby direct the Secretary of Technology to:

The Library of Virginia shall coordinate with the Task Force and the Electronic Government Implementation Division to ensure its "Infopowering the Commonwealth" initiative complements the objectives of the Digital Opportunity initiative.

Part 3: Applicability to All Executive Branch Agencies and Effective Date

All Executive Branch agencies and institutions of the Commonwealth shall cooperate with and provide assistance to the Secretary of Technology and the Electronic Government Implementation Division in implementing each part of this Executive Order to the fullest extent allowed by law and consistent with their various missions,

This Executive Order shall become effective upon its signing and shall remain in full force and effect until June 30, 2002, unless amended or rescinded by further Executive Order.

Given under my hand and under the Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia this 24 day of May, 2000,

James S. Gilmore, III, Governor

Executive Orders in Effect

© Commonwealth of Virginia 2000

Back to Top