GSA funds 14 digital projects with $150M from American Rescue Plan
The General Services Administration is using part of the $150 million it received under the American Rescue Plan Act to fund 14 citizen-facing digital service projects, it announced Monday.
GSA’s Technology Transformation Services selected 14 projects — from automating farmers’ debt relief processing to streamlined identity verification — to fit the plan’s themes of recover, rebuild, and reimagine in providing emergency support and services to Americans affected by COVID-19.
“These projects are a prime example of GSA’s commitment to using technology to make sure government can move at the speed of need and deliver for the people and communities we serve,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement. “From making it easier for families to access child care services to helping farmers access debt relief programs, these projects address some of the most pressing issues people face in their daily lives. Combined with efforts like the Technology Modernization Fund, we have an opportunity to make a truly transformative impact and reimagine how we deliver services to the public.”
The projects, which are in progress and in some cases have been completed already, are:
Recover
- Automating Farmers’ Debt Relief Processes
- Investing in Cloud Adoption and Reuse
- Putting the User at the Forefront of COVID Rental Relief
- Assisting Families Eligible for the Child Tax Credit
- Creating a Consistent Search Experience
Rebuild
- Verifying Income for Public Benefits
- Streamlining Identity Verification
- Creating Inclusive Design Patterns
Reimagine
- Reimaging USAGov as the Front Door to Government
- Increasing Voter Information and Access
- Locating Childcare Services
- Bridging the Gap to Wifi Access
- Building a Talent Pipeline for Government Technologists
- Spurring Innovation Through 10x Investments
The $150 million was passed to GSA’s Federal Citizen Services Fund through the American Resuce Plan, which was signed into law March 11 and approved $1.9 trillion in relief spending for COVID-19 recovery. Within that, Congress also appropriated $1 billion to support the Technology Modernization Fund, which GSA administers.
GSA said it will use “best practices” from its 10x program, which crowdsources – and funds – digital projects proposed by federal employees, to manage these 14 projects, including “equitable evaluation criteria, performing due diligence, and project tracking.” GSA also recently opened the submission period for the latest round of 10x projects.
TTS Director Dave Zvenyach said these new projects are “just the beginning.”
“As we head into FY22, TTS will be doubling down on what is possible to make the largest impact on public-facing digital services,” he said.
