ACT-IAC
American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC)
American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council aka ACT-IAC is a vendor-neutral forum for government and industry executives to communicate, collaborate and learn to improve government through the effective and innovative application of technology.
History of ACT-IAC
Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC) Established in 1978
In 1978, 16 Government Regional Manager ADP (automated data processing) councils in the US met in Atlanta and signed an agreement to create the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils (FGIPC). FGIPC was created as a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization to provide a national forum where government executives from all levels could exchange information and collaborate on IT issues. Officials from the Office of Management and Budget and General Services Administration supported the creation of this national organization. In 1982 OMB sent a memorandum to agency information resource management (IRM) officials acknowledging the role played by OMB and GSA in creating FGIPC and urging agencies to take advantage of this unique collaborative forum.
To provide support for the fledgling organization, GSA permitted Ginny McCormick, an employee in the GSA Atlanta office, to serve as FGIPC’s permanent secretary and program director. She performed this role for the next 15 years. The first official FGIPC activity occurred in 1981 when the annual Management of Change conference was held in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
During the first 10 years, FGIPC was primarily a forum for government executives. However, during the 1980s there was a growing desire to have an objective and vendor-neutral forum where government and industry could collaborate and exchange information. The need for such a forum grew more urgent as the government’s regulatory oversight structure for information technology grew more restrictive and precluded much government-to-industry communication.
1989 Industry Advisory Council (IAC) is Created
In 1989 the FGIPC Board of Directors created the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) to bring the private sector IT industry into the collaborative forum. In creating IAC the FGIPC leadership affirmed that government issues would drive the organization’s agenda; that all activities would be objective, ethical and vendor-neutral; that business development and lobbying would be prohibited; and that neither FGIPC nor IAC would accept government funding. There were twenty (20) charter companies in the IAC membership. In 1991 the first Executive Leadership Conference (ELC) was held in Charlottesville, Virginia with approximately 100 attendees. Today there are approximately 500 companies in the IAC membership and ELC is the premier event for the government IT community with total attendance limited to about 850 senior executives.
Over the years FGIPC and IAC continued to grow as an increasing number of government and industry employees became engaged in the organization. The range of programs also grew each year. In 2004 FGIPC changed its name to the American Council for Technology. In 2009 ACT celebrated its 30th anniversary while IAC celebrated its 20th. In 2012 ACT-IAC created the Institute for Innovation as a think tank on game-changing issues. [1]
ACT-IAC Address
ACT-IAC Headquarters 3040 Williams Drive, Suite 500 Fairfax, VA 22031
ACT-IAC Contact Information
Telephone: 703.208.4800 Fax: 703.208.4805 Email: [email protected]
See Also
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) - The primary set of rules in the Federal Acquisition Regulations System governing the "acquisition process" which is the process through which the federal government purchases goods and services. ACT-IAC focuses on improving acquisition and technology transformation within the U.S. federal government.
- IT Governance - ACT-IAC deals with issues related to IT governance in the federal sector, such as best practices, frameworks, and policy advice.
- Public–Private Partnership (PPP) - ACT-IAC serves as a collaborative forum between the U.S. government and the private sector, embodying a public-private partnership to enhance government through technology.
- Federal Risk and Authorization Program (FedRAMP) - A government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. ACT-IAC is involved in discussions and initiatives around these kinds of federal programs.
- Electronic Government (E-Government) - A term for the use of the Internet and other technologies to improve the delivery of public services. ACT-IAC often addresses e-government issues and best practices.
- Cyber Security - ACT-IAC often focuses on issues around cybersecurity in the federal sector, examining ways to improve practices and technologies for better security.