Ask the CIO

Department of Education

Bill Vajda CIO May 15th, 2008

Federal News Network Staff

May 12, 2008 10:58 am

< a min read

Bill Vajda came to the Education Department in 2006, one of priorities was to consolidate back office systems from e-mail to software licenses.

Six months into the contract called Educate, Vajda is pleased with the results.

He says the contract’s most dramatic affect has been on the way the agency does business. To do this, Education is using a managed services approach where the vendor is responsible for making sure certain performance levels are met. And Education now can focus on improving its mission areas.

Vajda says that also means Education employees must understand what results they are looking for and not be concerned with how the vendor gets there. It’s all about meeting or exceeding customer service expectations.

Beyond the changes brought on by Educate, Vajda wants Web portal technologies, technical services and budgeting tools to help the agency meet its mission.