Office of the GTA

Public sector agencies will soon be able to cut down on software development costs through a national software component exchange. The online exchange will enable state and local governments to post software components they developed so other agencies can reuse them without charge.

The Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) is finalizing a contract with ComponentSource of Atlanta for creation of this exchange. Software to support child welfare and case management is an example of a common need among states, as well as federally mandated programs that require custom development by state and local government for compliance.

?State and local governments can obtain tremendous value from this kind of collaborative component exchange,? said Larry Singer, chief information officer for the state of Georgia and GTA executive director. ?The benefits include reduced risks, cost and time to find or develop components as well as enhanced ability to capture and share best practices.?

Commercial software developers can also post products on the exchange for agencies to try out before making a final purchase. As a result, developers can reach a large number of potential customers, and agencies can more easily find the components they need.

The concept of sharing and reusing software components among government agencies is a priority for the National Association of Chief Information Officers (NACIO, formerly NASIRE). As chair of NACIO?s Component Reuse Subcommittee, Mr. Singer announced the award of the contract May 7th at the organization?s annual conference in Austin, Texas.