Washington, D.C. - Speaking of behalf of U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James at the Federal Offices Systems Expo (FOSE), OPM Associate Director of Management and Chief Financial Officer Clarence Crawford lauded the many efforts of those involved in creating a technologically advanced federal workplace. Crawford also specifically thanked the more than 400 attendees for their continuing efforts to establish an up-to-date Human Resources management system.

“At OPM, we are asking the information technology experts to help us manage people efficiently, securely and seamlessly,” said Crawford. “For Director James, having the right people in the right place in a post 9-11 American federal work force is more important than ever. The federal government needs technology today that will solve tomorrow’s problems. We have that technology and are using it right now to make government more efficient and less expensive.”

In addition to the importance being placed on the use of technology in federal HR offices, Crawford also stressed the need to use advanced technology to manage the necessary changes the President is calling for. “President Bush's Management Agenda calls for an e-Government that is equal to the technological advances in the private sector. Our e-Gov initiatives enable the government to execute the most essential Human Resource business strategies. These initiatives consist of a number of components that, together, provide a powerful framework for departments of the federal government to consolidate information into a single, trusted framework for execution.”

OPM e-Gov initiatives have begun to change the face of government through the use of information technology. For example, its project initiatives range from the consolidation and migration of payroll systems, to the development of a federal recruitment and job posting website. That web site, www.usajobs.gov, has received national recognition for outstanding service to its customers.

With over 45 million visits logged and 419,903 new resumes created by job seekers since its launch in August of 2003, the government web site rated higher than commercial sites on the University of Michigan’s recent American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study, a quarterly customer satisfaction survey that rates 44 e-government sites in four categories. The popular USAJOBS web site scored 73 out of 100 on the ACSI study for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2004 which ended February 5, 2004, five points higher than its score in the final quarter of FY 2003.

In closing, Crawford said: “Often, Director James has said that there is no going back to the typewriter – and there is no going back to September 10th. America in the 21st Century has changed forever. We are more vigilant, knowing now that freedom's enemies would take advantage of our open society. We are more efficient, realizing now that science is demanding that we keep up with the advancements in technology that make our time so fascinating. The Office of Personnel Management is proud to be setting the technological standards of Human Resource operations for today and tomorrow. Our government needs it, our citizens expect it, and America deserves it.”