The Electronic Freedom of Information Act (EFOIA) expanded the original Freedom of Information Act ensuring that citizens can obtain access to and copies of records created and maintained by the Federal government. Records may be withheld from the public only as specifically authorized by the law. EFOIA changed the FOIA requirements in several ways:

It extended the records covered, adding those created electronically such as databases, word processing documents, and e-mail to the already covered paper documents, films, and tapes.
It required web-based electronic reading rooms that the public may access.
It defined and clarified records and formats.
It revised the time period and procedures for responding to requests.
It expanded the information that must be included in the annual report.

FOIA offices, often understaffed and supported by computer systems not designed for FOIA, have had a hard time meeting the full requirements of the law. HW&W personnel have an in depth knowledge of FOIA processing, and the legislative mandate, the issues that confront FOIA officers in large and small organizations. HW&W has a thorough knowledge of state of the art automated tools to support EFOIA, the best practices used in the Federal government, and Federal funding and acquisition processes required to bring automation plans to fruition.

EFOIA Renewal Methodology
HW&W designed and developed a methodology for examining current FOIA processing practices, mapping best practices to that process, examining state of the art commercial software and hardware offerings, and developing the documents necessary to transition a FOIA office to a more productive, electronic environment. Best solutions incorporate the optimal workflow for meeting the processing requirements for EFOIA casework and commercially available software/hardware systems designed to best support that workflow. Best solutions are captured in requirements documents and other acquisition support documents (cost-benefit analysis, capital investment board proposal, statement of work, etc.).

HW&W's Approach
Fielding a multi-disciplinary team, HW&W can address every aspect of this work. Experts on FOIA, imagining, systems development, and finance join together with the FOIA Officer, the FOIA processing staff, and the information systems staff, to set the agency on the road to enhance productivity, satisfy the public and meet the requirements of the law.