Source: United States General Services Administration
October 6, 2022
The latest investments will increase cybersecurity while improving access to online services for the federal government and the American public
WASHINGTON – Today, the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) announced three new investments that will optimize user experience, ensure cybersecurity is consistent with federal standards, and reduce operating costs. TMF funding and support will:
- Help the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) improve and simplify the OPM.gov website for the site’s 22 million unique annual visitors.
- Modernize the Federal Housing Administration’s IT infrastructure, improving the experiences of more than 95,000 external users.
- Secure and monitor networks at depots, arsenals, and ammunition plants that support the U.S. Army.
“If we are going to deliver digital transformation for the American people in our lifetimes, we must think and work differently across the federal enterprise. Through TMF investments, we are demonstrating what’s possible right now in modern government service delivery,” said TMF Board Chair and Federal CIO Clare Martorana. “The investments in OPM, HUD, and the Army will address immediate security needs and enhance customer experience and business operations by modernizing outdated systems – expectations we must be able to meet for our customers.”
“With these new investments, the TMF now has a portfolio of 31 investments totaling over half a billion dollars,” said TMF Executive Director Raylene Yung. “But beyond funding, we’re working closely with our partners to provide them with expertise and support while also empowering their own teams to execute these projects in a way that ensures maximum benefits for the public.”
This round of investments includes:
OPM.gov Modernization
It can be challenging for federal employees, job seekers, and HR professionals to navigate OPM.gov’s 20,000 pages to find what they need. With a $6 million TMF investment, OPM will update both the technology behind and the content on the OPM.gov website. This will allow OPM to implement an updated and more secure Content Management System (CMS) hosted on OPM’s cloud environment, ensuring that users have intuitive and accessible web tools.
“A user-friendly website plays a critical role in OPM’s mission to communicate the federal government’s policies, services, and benefits more clearly and effectively,” said OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “This investment will improve the government’s ability to recruit job seekers, supply the federal workforce with relevant career-related information, and make it easier for public servants to manage their benefits.”
HUD Identity Credential Access Management Modernization
A $14.8-million TMF investment will allow HUD to replace costly legacy systems with a cloud-based platform that will seamlessly integrate certain Federal Housing Administration Connection (FHAC) systems with Login.gov. This investment will improve customer experience by creating self-service registration capabilities for users, organizations, and application administrators.
“Tens of thousands of external users engage with HUD’s current FHAC components,” said Beth A. Niblock, HUD Chief Information Officer. “Yet, our current systems are over-extended, redundant, and poorly integrated. The modernization of FHAC will give FHA-approved lenders and business partners secure access to the services they need.”
Army Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection Project
The Department of the Army operates 26 Organic Industrial Base (OIB) sites supported by nearly 28,000 employees. These sites contribute an economic impact of more than $8.5 billion across the United States. This project will heighten cyber capabilities and establish a Security Operations as-a-Service framework that ensures cyber defenders can monitor, respond, and remediate cyber threats.
“Funding from the TMF will help the Army to address this critical and urgent need as much as two years earlier than waiting for agency funding to become available through the regular budgeting process,” said Dr. Raj Iyer, Army Chief Information Officer. “For the Army and its partners, this project will modernize and improve our cybersecurity posture and enhance the command and control of critical OIB.”
Since the American Rescue Plan appropriated an additional $1 billion in resources, the TMF has received over 150 proposals from 70 agencies and components, representing over $2.8 billion in funding demand. In June 2022, the TMF Board announced a $100 million allocation to help streamline and improve public-facing digital services and technology systems to deliver a better customer experience to the American people. TMF will prioritize projects that cut across agencies and systems, address immediate security gaps, and improve the public’s ability to access and manage government services. Investments from this allocation will be announced on a rolling basis beginning in FY 2023.
For more information, visit: tmf.cio.gov
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About the TMF: The Technology Modernization Fund is working to transform the way the government uses technology to deliver for the American public in an equitable, secure, and user-centric way. The TMF invests in technology projects across government, providing incremental funding, technical assistance, and oversight throughout execution to ensure the success of its investments.
The TMF is overseen by the Technology Modernization Board, which is composed of government IT leaders representing proven expertise in technology, transformation, and operations. To date, the TMF has announced investments totaling over $600 million. These investments have supported projects ranging from providing a single secure login experience for government websites to digitizing temporary worker visa programs and modernizing systems that support crop inspection and certification. The TMF has received $175 million through the annual budget process and $1 billion through the American Rescue Plan to fund modernization projects to date. For more information, visit tmf.cio.gov and follow us at @TMF_gsa.
About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.