U.S. General Services Administration
GSA, OPM Partner in Centers of Excellence Initiative
GSA will provide OPM with consulting services and technical expertise for IT operations and future modernization efforts in CoE sprint-based discovery phase
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) today announced a series of interagency agreements beginning a sprint-based discovery phase to improve OPM’s information technology (IT) infrastructure and address structural challenges. The partnership with GSA’s Technology Transformation Services’ (TTS) Centers of Excellence (CoE) initiative, led by TTS Director Anil Cheriyan, and GSA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (GSA IT) will help stabilize OPM’s legacy IT systems and enable the agency to modernize its IT capabilities and methods. The partnership will also serve as a catalyst to implementing the structural change needed to support OPM’s critical human capital strategy mission with 21st century IT infrastructure.
“GSA is proud of the success that has been demonstrated by our Centers of Excellence initiative at both USDA and HUD,” said GSA Administrator Emily Murphy. “We are excited to begin the CoE discovery phase with OPM and leverage the expertise of our GSA IT team as we work with OPM to modernize their IT capabilities.”
“The American people deserve best-in-class services on par with those offered by the private sector,” said Chris Liddell, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination. “The GSA Centers of Excellence are focused on building the institutional capacity for sustainable change over the long-term, by sharing the best practices developed as they deliver meaningful and immediate results. My congratulations to Anil and his team for their ongoing work; the Centers of Excellence are proving their worth, the model is working and the foundation for long-term success is being delivered.”
Through this partnership, GSA will help OPM address its critical technology needs by enhancing current IT operations and laying the groundwork for future technology innovations. The CoE and GSA IT teams will focus on four key areas identified by OPM:
- IT Workforce Planning;
- IT Planning and Governance;
- Mainframe and Disaster Recovery Planning; and
- Retirement Services Technology Portfolio.
“The time to address structural changes at OPM is now and GSA is helping us meet the needs of the federal workforce,” said OPM Acting Director Margaret Weichert. “Aging IT infrastructure at OPM has put the agency in an unsustainable position and hurt OPM’s critical human capital mission. By partnering with GSA — a proven leader in federal IT and technology contracting — through the CoEs, we are taking steps toward long-overdue transformation in OPM’s IT infrastructure and operations.”
OPM is the third federal agency GSA is partnering with to apply the CoE approach to IT modernization - following successful launches at both USDA and HUD - and will begin with a sprint-based discovery phase. The purpose of the CoE initiative is to accelerate the modernization of IT across the federal government by leveraging private sector innovation and government services, while centralizing best practices and expertise. By leveraging GSA’s class-leading IT support and infrastructure and bringing the CoE model to OPM, GSA will use the expertise of the TTS team within its Federal Acquisition Service. In addition, GSA IT will support efforts to help stabilize OPM’s IT operations and prepare for future modernization efforts.
About GSA
The mission of the U.S. General Services Administration is to deliver value and savings in real estate, acquisition, technology, and other mission-support services across the government. As part of GSA’s Technology Transformation Services, the CoE initiative accelerates IT modernization by leveraging private sector innovation and government services while centralizing best practices and expertise for holistic transformation. GSA IT supports technology modernization efforts by delivering innovative, collaborative, and cost-effective IT solutions and services to support GSA’s mission and customers. To learn more about GSA visit gsa.gov or join the conversation on social media at @USGSA and @GSAEmily.
About OPM
OPM leads and serves the federal government in enterprise human resources management by delivering policies and services to achieve a trusted, effective civilian workforce. By Empowering Excellence in Government through Great People, we provide leadership and support to U.S. agencies on issues including human resources policy and oversight, background investigations, federal employee benefits, retirement services, guidance on labor-management relations, and programs to improve workforce performance. For more information, visit OPM.gov or follow OPM on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
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