Government auditors issue ultimatum: Enhance IT reporting or relinquish control over technology operations
The US federal government's implementation of the Technology Business Management (TBM) framework, aimed at standardising IT costs, resources, and solutions, is facing significant challenges. According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not made sufficient progress on the project, leading to a call for action[1][2][4].
In 2017, OMB was assigned to head up the government's implementation of the TBM framework. However, as of August 2025, most federal agencies have not developed implementation plans or established reliable cost allocation methodologies, which are critical elements for TBM adoption[1][4].
The GAO found that only partial adoption has occurred. OMB initially required agencies to report IT spending in limited categories (layers one and two of the TBM taxonomy), but failed to expand requirements to the full taxonomy or provide agencies with proper cost methodologies[3][4]. As a result, 18 agencies had either partially or not implemented reliable cost allocation methodologies[4].
Despite increased transparency linked to TBM, agency officials have not reported any cost savings or clear benefits from implementation so far[4]. In response to the GAO's concerns, the OMB director has been urged to either halt the TBM effort if it cannot be properly supported or elevate it as a governmentwide priority, implementing GAO’s prior recommendations immediately[2][3].
To date, OMB has only partially implemented one out of seven GAO recommendations made in 2022 related to TBM adoption and has not expanded the taxonomy or provided strong leadership to overcome implementation obstacles[4]. The GAO's latest report is a follow-up to a 2022 investigation that reached similar conclusions about the TBM project's lack of progress[1].
In light of these findings, the GAO is pressing OMB to make a clear decision: to either commit substantial resources and leadership to complete TBM adoption, integrating its full framework and methodologies across agencies, or to end the costly but stalled initiative. Without such decisive action, the future of TBM in the federal government remains uncertain[1][2][4].
References:
[1] Government Accountability Office. (2025). Technology Business Management: OMB Needs to Address Implementation Challenges or Terminate the Program. GAO-25-102.
[2] Federal News Network. (2025). GAO urges OMB to either prioritize TBM or terminate it. [online] Available at: https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2025/08/gao-urges-omb-to-either-prioritize-tbm-or-terminate-it/
[3] Nextgov. (2025). GAO: OMB Has Failed to Fully Implement TBM Framework, Recommends Director to Halt or Prioritize Effort. [online] Available at: https://www.nextgov.com/it modernization/2025/08/gao-omb-has-failed-fully-implement-tbm-framework-recommends-director-halt-or-prioritize-effort/dod/
[4] Federal Computer Week. (2025). GAO: OMB hasn’t done enough work on TBM project, recommends prioritizing or terminating it. [online] Available at: https://federalcomputerweek.com/articles/2025/08/23/gao-omb-hasnt-done-enough-work-on-tbm-project-recommends-prioritizing-or-terminating-it.aspx
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