Working as a partner with Altarum (www.altarum.org), PRICE Systems provided the United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) cost estimating and analysis support for the ERA Business Case Analysis (BCA). This BCA was required as part of a submission to the organizations Investment Review Team as well as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
PRICE developed hardware and software life cycle cost estimates of three alternatives identified by NARA. The life cycle was defined as investment, systems operations and support and phase out. The PRICE team identified costs for the preferred acquisition scenario for elements in each of the life cycle phases.
As part of this process, PRICE supported the collection, analysis and normalization of cost data, developed a technical & programmatic baseline, defined the cost estimating methodology, mapped the estimate to ERA Cost Estimating Structure and assisted NARA management with the development of cost/benefit issues.
PRICE’s Approach
PRICE Systems’ methodology involved…
· The identification of key functional mission areas that could
be eliminated or made more efficient through ERA implementation.
· Interviewing Subject Matter Expert and data gathering on current
systems, processes, procedures and costs.
· Projections of future workload based on historical data.
· Estimation of future costs to perform key mission functions using
current technology, processes and procedures.
Costs Avoidance Opportunities
PRICE’s analysis identified and quantified several internal and
external cost avoidance opportunities, some of these include:
· The new system would provide the ability to ingest Census files in their native format and store them digitally, drastically reducing the cost to convert, ingest and store the data in a usable form.
· The system would enable NARA to better meet statutory requirements to save copies of all Federal Web sites, which presently is over 30M web pages, and over 6,000GB of data.
· The system would enable NARA General Counsel to reduce their costs and improve responsiveness in supporting litigation during the discovery phase of lawsuits involving the U.S. Federal Government.
About NARA
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent
federal agency that preserves our nation's history and defines us as a
people by overseeing the management of all federal records. Enshrined
for posterity in the original building in Washington, DC, are the cornerstone
documents of our government, the Charters of Freedom: the Declaration
of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of
Rights.
But the National Archives and Records Administration is more than famous
documents. NARA is a public trust upon which our democracy depends. NARA
enables people to inspect for themselves the record of what government
has done. NARA enables officials and agencies to review their actions
and helps citizens hold them accountable for those actions. And NARA ensures
continuing access to essential evidence that documents the rights of American
citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience.
www.archives.gov
About ERA
In the Federal Government, electronic records are as indispensable as
their paper predecessors for documenting citizens' rights, the actions
for which officials are accountable, and the nation's history. Effective
democracy depends on access to such records. But we will lose the millions
being created in electronic forms unless we find a way to preserve and
keep them accessible indefinitely. Research promoted by NARA within a
major coalition of research partners has at last demonstrated that an
Electronic Records Archives (ERA) can be built. And with support from
the Administration, the Congress, Federal agencies, communities of concerned
professionals, and other financial, technological, and implementation
partners, NARA is at work to build it. The ERA will give increased reality
to e-Government. And the technology promises to be useful to many kinds
of archives, libraries, agencies, and businesses, regardless of size.
ERA technology will make crucial records and other information safer and
more accessible in every sector of society.
About Altarum
Altarum defines the field of informatics as the seamless integration of
data collection, data and information management, and unique domain expertise
that enables our customers to better understand and manage complex, dynamic
systems. Our systems solutions – which often take the form of customized
decision support and knowledge tools – are applied to the national
security, healthcare, and energy, environment and transportation sectors.
We deliver the knowledge that makes for better business models, more efficient
decision making, and improved process design.
As an institution with deep research roots, strong collaboration skills
and a long tradition of providing customized technology solutions, Altarum’s
innovation roadmap begins with a concept and ends with our customer. As
an innovation institution, Altarum is continuously looking to find new
technologies – or new uses for existing technologies – that
better meet the needs of our customers and society. www.altarum.org