I have worked at agencies where the agency hired mostly in house programmers and it works fine as long as the government hires talented people instead of friends, relatives, and lovers (but keep in mind that is going on anyway with all the other positions in the government as well, the government really needs to put a stop to this).

I have also worked at agencies where the agency depends completely on contractor programmers and they are completely dependent on what the contractors are telling them which is often not in the best interest of the agency (and I know this because I’m a programmer with 20 years experience and trust me, I’m “up to date”). I actually left a position because of this, I thought I’d get to do programming but it was all farmed out. I’ve also been on interviews where the hiring manager showed me what the contractors have been doing and I knew it was not the best way – but I didn’t take the job because the manager had blind trust in the contractors and I like doing things right.

The contracting company is looking out for themselves and cuts corners to maximize profit. How do I know this? I’ve also been a programmer for a large government contractor. Also keep in mind that you see bad hires at the contracting companies, too, since they are hiring programmers who will accept a lower salary or programmers who are willing to do what they are told instead of what is the best solution for the government. For a good programmer, this is hell because you want to be proud of what you are doing.

The government actually pays pretty well now and if you figure in benefits, many programmers would love to work for the government. Look at it this way, currently the government is paying these great salaries to people who have virtually no marketable skills on the outside, they just know someone or stayed there long enough to move up the ladder. Hire programmers with demonstrated experience and you improve the quality of the federal workforce as well.

Bottom line, the government should hire full time permanent programmers, there is a huge need for programmers with the best interests of the government to be working for the government. I’ve been on all sides of this situation and have personally seen what goes on. I want the government workforce to be the best it can be and provide the best possible solutions to the public who deserve nothing less.

Bottom line, hire full time programmers, there is a huge need for programmer with the best interests of the government to be working for the government.

Good software developers are special. It takes intelligence, curiosity, and creativity to understand and develop the latest technology. It’s a field that changes constantly. Good developers want flexibility, access to new technology, and training. They are not going to be comfortable with routine.

The government is full of so-called IT workers that are comfortable coming in on a fixed schedule, collecting a paycheck, and filling out forms (in paper). Most of these workers aren’t interested in “new” technology or ways of doing business such as social networking, virtual computing, cloud computing, telework, video, color printers, or laptops. Unfortunately the government rewards the routine workers by making them managers. Since they only know paperwork they add more of it to the process. The tiniest project then requires a few dozen paper documents and several timekeeping codes. The budget is used for management training, with little left over for technical training, modern equipment, or even a few technical books.

Some one asked why I still work for the government. My answer: It pays well enough for me to pay for books and equipment, so I can go home at night and program.

http://personaldemocracy.com/blog-entry/space-avenue-developer-government-engagement (This one didn’t mention the BRIDGE name, but it is the same project)

http://matthewburton.org/wordpress/the-death-of-bridge-the-us-governments-it-failure-of-the-year/

Among other aspects, I was inspired by the examples you provided of giving geeks a chance to help. In case others are also interested in learning more about these, I hope you won’t mind if I post a few links:

Apps for Democracy

O’Reilly Radar post on Building Bridges with the U.S. Intelligence Community (I can’t find any other references to BRIDGE)

Apps for America, 2

Code for America (you had a link in the article, but it wasn’t a hotlink)