ABOUT: FERMI is the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) effort to provide a government-wide, modern, cost-effective, standardized, and interoperable set of records management solutions and services to Federal agencies. NARA has identified the common, core requirements all agencies need to support their records management programs.
VANTAGE: Federal agencies have different missions, structures, and resources, as well as lack common needs for managing their electronic records. Agencies need to manage their records in compliance with NARA’s statutes, regulations, and guidance. FERMI emerged from the Automated Electronic Records Management Plan, to support the Managing Government Records Directive (M-12-18). NARA serves as the Records Management Standards Lead for the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Unified Shared Services Management (USSM) office’s Business Standards Council.
On Monday, AUGUST 6, 2018: In conjunction with GSA, NARA held an Industry Day in the McGowan Theater and streamed the event live on NARA’s YouTube channel. NARA and GSA publicized how vendors listed on GSA Schedule 36, Special Item Number 51-600, Electronic Records Management would have the opportunity to create demos based on the draft “Use Cases for Electronic Messages.” The Use Cases are modeled after the ERM Federal Integrated Business Framework (ERM-FIBF), and describe how to manage electronic messages.
Further, NARA and GSA detailed demos must express the following three scenarios from the Use Cases:
- Determine if the electronic message can be placed under records management control. (ERM.010.L1.02)
- Manage the metadata of an electronic message record throughout the lifecycle. (ERM.020.L1.02)
- Dispose of approved electronic message records. (ERM.030.L1.02)
Vendors were asked to develop demos of how their solutions could meet these three scenarios. GSA said it would work with vendors to make the demos available to agencies through the Acquisitions Gateway. Agencies can use these demos as market research to evaluate how well solutions manage electronic messages.
The PIDB is encouraged by NARA and GSA’s combined efforts to improve the management of electronic records through smarter business practices and acquisition improvement.
The Members support NARA’s endeavor to foster solutions for access to electronic information.