Asked to attend were leaders from a wide variety of industries â from video game titan Electronic Arts, to PepsiCo, to Microsoft.
Obama hopes to take ideas and information gleaned from the meeting and use them to help the government make better use of taxpayer dollars.
âI want us to ask ourselves every day, how are we using technology to make a real difference in peopleâs lives,â said President Obama. âImproving the technology our government uses isnât about having the fanciest bells and whistles on our websites â itâs about how we use the American peopleâs hard-earned tax dollars to make government work better for them.â
A large technology gap has formed in recent years between the public and private sectors, a discrepancy which has resulted in wasted funds and ineffective customer service.
âTwenty years ago, people who came to work in the federal government had better technology at work than at home. Now, thatâs no longer the case,â said White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Peter Orszag. âThe American people deserve better service from their government, and better return for their tax dollars. Itâs time to bring government into the 21st century. Information technology has the power to transform how government works, and revolutionize the ease, convenience, and effectiveness by which it serves the American people.â
The forum is part of a larger initiative by Obama to cut at least $40 billion dollars by ending wasteful contracting practices, started the SAVE Award to hear from frontline government workers ideas to save money and improve performance, and ordered a careful review of the budget to certify that the new practices take root.