OMB, GAO to Go Digital on Key Reports

The switch should save the GAO about $350,000 annually, said Mike Motley, director of continuous improvement at the agency.

The agency posts almost all of its reports on its Web site so that the public has access to the same information provided to Congress. But the blue-cover reports have long been identified with the GAO, and giving them up has caused some angst at the agency.

In October, the GAO stopped providing hard-copy reports to its employees, urging them to build electronic libraries on their desktop computers.

Now, the GAO is urging its boss and chief client, Congress, to go electronic, too. Feedback from congressional offices has been mixed, Motley said, because some aides think it is easier to get information to a lawmaker when it is on paper. Some Hill offices also may need more sophisticated computer software to view and print reports more efficiently.

The transition starts this month and will likely take up to six months because a number of reports are in the pipeline and will be printed, Motley said.

The GAO is not closing the door for good on paper reports. The agency is telling congressional offices that "if you really need hard copies, let us know, and we'll do that," Motley said.

Important GAO reports also will continue to be printed, such as a major weapon systems report, a performance and accountability report and special publications. "There will be exceptions to the rule," Motley said.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.