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OMB GUIDANCE ON IMPLEMENTING ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES

The Office of Management and Budget's
predominant mission is to assist the President in overseeing the
preparation of the federal budget and to supervise its administration
in Executive Branch agencies. In addition, OMB oversees and coordinates
the Administration's procurement, financial management, information,
and regulatory policies. The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
(OIRA) oversees the Federal regulations and information requirements,
and develops policies to improve government statistics and information
management.

Below are two report's from the OMB on implementing
electronic signatures. While these reports where intended for
governmental agencies, the information contained is of equal value to
all businesses.

OMB Guidance on Implementing the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act

This document transmits OMB guidance to
Executive Agencies regarding the interpretation and implementation of
the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
("E-SIGN") (Public Law 106-229) enacted on June 30, 2000. OMB developed
this document with substantial help from the Departments of Commerce,
Justice, and Treasury.

Memorandum available online here and OMB report available here in PDF

 

OMB Procedures and Guidance on Implementing the Government Paperwork Elimination Act

This document provides Executive agencies with
the guidance required under Sections 1703 and 1705 the Government
Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA), P. L. 105-277, Title XVII.

Memorandum available online here and OMB report available here in HTML

Excerpt from the report:

Section 4. What benefits should agencies
consider in planning and implementing electronic signatures and
electronic transactions?

Benefits from moving to electronic
transactions and electronic signatures include reduction in transaction
costs for the agency and the transaction partner. Transactions are
quicker and it is often easier to access information related to the
transaction because it is in electronic form. The electronic form often
allows more effective data analysis because the information is easier
to access. Better data analysis often improves the operation of the
newly electronic transaction. In addition, if many transactions are
electronic and data analysis can be done across transactions the
benefits can spillover into the rest of the agency as operational
awareness of the entire organization is improved. Moreover, business
process reengineering should accompany all attempts to facilitate a
transaction through information technology. Often the full benefits
will be realized only by restructuring the process to take advantage of
the technology. Merely moving an existing paper based process to an
electronic one is unlikely to reap the maximum benefits from the
electronic system.