The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) today announced the 25 finalists for its 12^th annual 2013 Excellence.gov Awards Program. Established by ACT-IAC in 2001, the Excellence.gov Awards Program recognizes exceptional government programs and projects that fuel government efficiency, interagency collaboration, and the delivery of impactful citizen services through innovative technologies.

“ACT-IAC is once again honored to provide a premiere forum for recognizing the exceptional work being done and the value being delivered through government programs,” said Dale Luddeke, IAC Chair. “In each instance, the finalists have inspired us all to seek new, innovative and collaborative ways to approach the most challenging areas of mission and business needs, and to achieve ever greater levels of service and efficiency.”

A panel of more than 40 judges, selected from senior government and industry information technology executives, reviewed a record number of more than 130 nominations to select this year’s finalists listed here by category, program name and government agency:

Excellence in Enhancing the Customer Experience

• Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) – National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Credit Union Online (CUOnline) – National Credit Union Administration
• CO.NX: Connecting the World Through Virtual Engagement – Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State
• GoArmyEd – Army Continuing Education System, U.S. Army
• SuperTracker – Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Excellence in Intergovernmental Collaboration

• Defense Connect Online (DCO) – Defense Information Systems Agency, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
• North American Day Public Health Alerts Pilot Project 2012 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) website – Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), DOD
• Utah OneStop Business Registration (OSBR) – Utah Department of Technology Services, State of Utah
• Veterans Job Bank – U.S Department of Veteran Affairs

Excellence in Enterprise Efficiencies

• Customer Account Data Engine 2 (CADE 2) – Internal Revenue Service
• Land Border Integration (LBI) Pedestrian Reengineering initiative – U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• BRIDGES – Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, State of Michigan
• National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Community Open Source Tools – NIEM Program Management Office, DHS
• Nuclear Weapons Related Material (NWRM) Positive Inventory Control (PIC) Fusion Center (FC) – Global Combat Support System, U.S. Air Force Data Services

Excellence in Innovation: Digital Government

• Disaster Management eGov Initiative – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), DHS
• EPA’s Open Government Program – Office of Information Collection, Office of Environment Information, U.S. Environment Protection Agency
• GSA’s Drive to the Cloud Phase 2: Implementing a Cloud-Based Social Collaboration and Business Applications Platform – U.S. General Services Administration, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
• Office of eDiplomacy – Bureau of Information Resource Management, U.S. Department of State
• Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS) – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, State of California

Excellence in Innovation: Pilots and Start-up Projects

• FDA Innovation Pathway Conference Center (“FDA CC Pilot”) – Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, HHS
• Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) Biomedical Big Data Proof-of-concept – Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, U.S. National Cancer Institute
• FOIAonline (previously known as the FOIA Module) – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
• PreCheck – DMDC, DOD
• Building YOURcloud: The Federal Government’s First Secure Hybrid Community IaaS Cloud – U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy

“It is exciting to see the diversity of public sector organizations represented as finalists this year,” said Darren Ash, ACT President. “This list represents impressive work by federal, state and local government employees and their industry partners to better serve citizens, support the missions of their respective organizations, and save money.”

Department of Homeland Security Chief Information Officer (CIO) Richard Spires has been invited to deliver the keynote address at the awards luncheon on March 5, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.

All 2013 Excellence.gov winners will also be invited to exhibit at the 2013 Management of Change education and training event from May 19 to May 21, 2013 at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Md.

For more information on or to register for the 2013 Excellence.gov awards luncheon, please contact Maria Guzman at (703) 208-4800 Ext. 224 or visit www.actgov.org/excellence2013.

For sponsorship information, please contact Judy Fry at (703) 208-4800 ext. 205 or jfry@actgov.org.

About ACT-IAC – Advancing Government Through Education, Collaboration and Action

ACT-IAC has been recognized as the premier government IT community’s public-private partnership and is an example of how government and industry work together. We are a nonprofit educational organization created to advance government in serving the public through the effective application of IT resources. Our education, training, programming and collaboration opportunities enhance and advance the government IT profession. ACT-IAC’s objective, vendor- and technology-neutral, and ethical forum allow government and industry to collaborate and improve government through technology. Headquartered in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, ACT-IAC also has chapters in the Pacific region (based in San Diego) and the Rocky Mountain region (based in Denver).

Learn more about our organization and how to become a member at www.actgov.org or call 703-208-4800.