M-03-03, Improving Customer Service By Establishing a One-Stop Recreation

 December 12, 2002

M-03-03

MEMORANDUM FOR SELECTED HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

FROM:	Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. Director
SUBJECT:	Improving Customer Service By Establishing a One-Stop Recreation Reservation System

One of the key goals of the President's E-Government initiative is to make it easy for the public to get service from their government. Accordingly, the Recreation One Stop Initiative is focused on creating a simple Web-based resource for the public, offering a single point of access to information and reservations for federal recreational opportunities. The potential benefit to the public and businesses in this area is dramatic. A recent E-Government survey by the Pew Foundation shows that over 52 million Americans go to government Web sites to find recreation, the number one type of information sought after by the "e-Citizen."

The purpose of this memorandum is to advise selected agency heads of our intention to consolidate IT systems relating to recreation reservations systems as part of the President's Recreation One Stop Initiative. Currently, the Federal Government operates a number of reservation systems for federal recreational facilities. Multiple government reservation systems make it difficult for the public to find and make reservations. Establishing a one-stop Federal recreational reservation system will make it easier for citizens to use Federal parks and recreation facilities. At the same time, consolidating reservation systems will benefit the taxpayers, because maintaining a single recreation reservation system is more efficient and cost-effective than having multiple agencies operate their own reservation systems.

Pursuant to Section 5113 of the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996, OMB evaluates the information resources management practices of the executive agencies with respect to the performance and results of information technology investments. OMB has already identified two Federal recreation reservation systems that can be consolidated. Spending on these systems totals approximately $12 M in 2003:

The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers, have agreed with OMB that these two systems will be consolidated into one reservation system, which will allow the public to obtain information and make reservations for all the recreational opportunities that these agencies offer. Under this consolidation, the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS) currently run jointly by the Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers will become the one-stop recreation reservation system for the public, and the NRRS is hereby designated as "an executive agent for Government-wide acquisitions of information technology" under Section 5112(e) of the Clinger-Cohen Act for recreation reservation systems. The Interior Department will work with the Agriculture Department and the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that there is a single reservation system for the public in October 2003. In addition to the Park Service, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be included in the single recreation system for their reservation and other recreation transaction needs. OMB will work closely with the Recreation One Stop reservation initiative team (from Interior, Agriculture, and the Corps) to set up a Cross-Agency Project Management Office.

This consolidation is an important step in realizing the President's goal of making government citizen centered, by eliminating redundant agency-centered systems. OMB is reviewing recreational reservation systems in other agencies to identify other programs that should be included in this government-wide system, so that the public can be spared the time, expense, and hassle of having to go from one Federal Web site to another in order to make their recreational plans. OMB staff may contact your agency for help in obtaining information about the recreational opportunities that your agency offers. I am asking for your agency's assistance in this effort, so that we can realize the President's goal of leveraging E-Government to improve the services that the Federal Government provides to citizens while at the same time reducing the costs to the taxpayer.

The OMB point of contact for this initiative is Jonathan Womer, Government-to-Citizen Portfolio Manager, 202-395-0369, jwomer@omb.eop.gov.

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* Approximation from fee collection and contract administration.