GSA tech arm faces more workforce cuts

The latest round of General Services Administration cuts is hitting Technology Transformation Services, specifically within the Integrated Award Environment (IAE), Solutions, and Office of Regulatory and Oversight Systems (OROS) programs, sources confirmed to FedScoop. 

Under TTS, the Solutions platforms and services, front office, public experience and accelerators are all affected by the reductions, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. However, programs that are safe from the current — and widespread — reductions in force include FedRAMP, Login.gov and Cloud.gov, sources said. Additionally, TTS consulting, fellowships and front office are untouched as well. 

TTS Director Thomas Shedd previously said during remarks at a GSA town hall that OROS and IAE would be prioritized. OROS and the three products in that office would continue “as required by law,” Shedd said.

“Cutting more staff might endanger basic system operations and cause IAE to have issues which could break all of federal contracting,” a source familiar with the GSA said. 

The source familiar with the GSA told FedScoop that IAE has already seen the loss of several layers of leadership and a few major contracts. IAE serves as a governmentwide initiative that the GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, or FAS, administers. IAE is tasked with modernizing the “award experience” through facilitating the process in online systems that are used for doing business with the federal government and other contracting activities.

Shedd said during last month’s town hall that IAE would “continue to exist and remain under TTS for now.” 

“We’ve been working to exit legacy contracts and double down on required modernization,” Shedd said. “This team and program have seen rapid change, but I am excited about where we will land.”

The source with knowledge of the situation told FedScoop that the GSA called all affected divisions into an emergency meeting with human resources at noon Thursday. Those unaffected were notified of the reduction in force later.

Federal News Network first reported that the RIF was happening, citing an email obtained from GSA. In that email, Shedd told employees that the agency was moving to smaller teams to provide support to shared services and partner agencies. The former Tesla engineer clarified that TTS programs would remain operational, to the maximum extent as possible, during the change. 

The new round of cuts follows comments Shedd made last month that TTS would face at least a 50% RIF in order to deliver technology in a “more focused and streamlined way.” He added that TTS would only pursue work that is required by statute and policy — supported by the Trump administration’s definition of “critical” — and prioritized by leadership at GSA. 

The latest workforce reduction also follows the overnight shutdown last month of 18F, an internal team of engineers and tech consultants that worked to develop open-source tools to improve digital services across the government.