Keep your eye on the stimulus money

We caution you to hold off spending the money you will get as part of the enormous $787 billion stimulus law that was signed into law last week by President Obama. Yes, the money is coming, and it includes billions for technology at many different agencies.

But you have to be ready for it. And that might mean additional in-house staff, more contractors and a solid plan on how to disperse it. Obama made it clear that the first priority is for "shovel-ready projects." And you may have a few ready to roll. There will be plenty of oversight over this money and accountability will be demanded where this money went. So make sure you are using it in targeted ways, and you know how to account for every penny of it.

There is also a second package of billions of dollars proposed in Obama's budget proposal for 2010. But it will take months before Congress finishes the appropriations process, and the numbers are likely to change dramatically during the debate.

Some people are calling the economic stimulus plan the next New Deal. Others are calling it Obama's New Deal. We are focusing on some of the programs in today's FierceGovernmentIT.com. But there will be much more as the details emerge and the importance of how this money was spent to improve technology in the federal government. - Judi