Remarks for ACT-IAC on October 29, 2024 Prepared for Administrator Robin Carnahan

October 29, 2024

I’m glad to be back here with so many leaders from across government and industry all focused on the singular, common goal of delivering better digital services to the American people. Thank you for being such worthy partners in this important work.

Before I get started, I’d like to thank all the folks who are here from GSA. These are public servants who devote their time and talent everyday working to deliver value to more than 300 million Americans we serve. And it’s a testament to the value we place in this industry partnership that so many are here today…can all the GSA’rs stand up and wave and please join me in giving them a round of applause.

They represent hundreds of others on our team all tasked with improving the way government builds and buys technology. They have years of experience and hard earned lessons about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to government technology, so I hope if you haven’t already attended one of their sessions or stopped by the GSA booth, that you’ll take time to do that before you leave. It’s booth #21 over by NASA.

Years ago when I had my first job in the federal government, I remember my dad telling me that working in government can sometimes feel like you’re a passenger on a big ship with a lot of momentum going in one direction and you’re just along for the ride.  But every now and then you get the chance to steer – and if you’re able to make even a small course correction you end up in a completely different place.

Over the years, I’ve seen the proof of that time and time again - where seemingly small changes make a big impact – and nowhere is that more true than in our work over the past four years on improving government technology.

From my first day on the job, I’ve talked about the importance of “making the damn websites work because trust in government depends on its ability to reliably deliver what people need, when they need it; and today, we can’t deliver what people need without technology.

That’s why early on the Biden-Harris Administration committed to a governmentwide effort around a simple but powerful idea: that interacting with the government should be easy, and it should work for everyone.

The good news is that when we reached out to many of the industry partners in this room for help on this ambitious goal, you rose to the challenge.

Today, because of the work we’ve done together – we’re closer than ever before to realizing that vision of a future where interacting with the government is as seamless and secure as the other online transactions in our daily lives.

• Websites and solutions like Login.gov, IRS Direct File, and Notify.gov – are proving that government can deliver simple, secure, and yes, even delightful digital experiences….
• Taxpayers are getting better value for their money through the Technology Modernization Fund and agile IT procurement initiatives.
• We are working with Congress on ways to improve how government procures technology and technology services, including adopting a “Best Value” standard for GSA contracts and updating how we buy cloud services.
• And it’s getting easier than ever for technology companies to do business with government through innovative IT contracts and a stronger, more effective FedRAMP.

All of this is: good for the American people, good for taxpayers, and good for industry. It’s another example of what we’re always trying to achieve at GSA and that’s a “triple win.”

We know there’s more work to be done, but the impact we’re making together is significant - and I want to give you 3 examples of how that work has made a difference in each of three areas.

First, when it comes to delivery – we’ve built solutions and websites that are saving the American people time and money. For example, with Login.gov we wanted to build one account for government that people could use to access federal services from multiple government agencies – and, partnering with industry, we did just that.

Today, 10s of millions of people from all across the country can get the government services they need with the same kind of ease they have with technology in their daily lives.

They can also walk into any of the 20,000 U.S. Postal Services locations and verify their identity in-person – or go online, take a selfie, and use our IAL2 compliant identity verification option… and once they have their account set up, they’re ready to go.

This was crucial during the tragic Maui wildfires last year when folks trying to recover from that disaster  used Login.gov to seamlessly access everything from unemployment insurance benefits and FEMA services from the Department of Homeland Security, to disaster-assistance loans from the Small Business Administration.

Another great example is IRS’ Direct File. The U.S. Digital Service and GSA’s 18F team were proud to help get that off the ground and we know this program will be expanding even more next year.

This is a big deal, because – listen to this – Americans on average spend 9 hours and about $150 to file their taxes, making up nearly 63% of people’s federal paperwork burden annually.

A schoolteacher in Oakland, California was bracing for this hassle again last year, but instead, she used IRS Direct File and it took her 15 minutes to get it done. By herself. From her own home. And feeling confident that her taxes were filed correctly the first time.

That’s the kind of work and impact we can accomplish together - and that’s what we’re committed to doing more of in the future.

Not only are we delivering great results - but just as importantly, we’re doing it in ways that get great value for taxpayers.

Continuing to build out shared services does just that because agencies don’t have to pay to recreate the wheel, and so is the Technology Modernization Fund.  Both are great examples of better outcomes and better value. 

For the past 7 years, the TMF has invested over 1 billion dollars in IT modernization projects across government, helping agencies modernize and secure their systems, access their data, and deliver better results for customers.

By making incremental investments, ensuring teams are meeting milestones, and fostering accountability for project outcomes, we’ve seen that TMF investments have an 80% success rate, versus the 13% success rate of other large government projects using traditional methods.

There are plenty of examples, but here’s one worth mentioning – our partnership with the Department of Labor. We have 6 investments with them, but my favorite is their online “lost and found” registry. This helps millions of American workers and their families find out if they’re owed money or benefits from past employers.

Because of that work, a homeless veteran who was owed decades of lost wages, retirement and social security benefits. He now gets $3,000 a month in retirement and other benefits and received a lump sum of about $80,000 in previously owed benefits that he used to get permanent housing, more stability, and build a better life.

That’s government working for people and that’s how we should be using taxpayer dollars – doing things that improve the lives of the people we serve.

Finally, let’s talk about some things we’re doing to be better partners with all of you in industry – by making it easier to do business with the government.

One example is our partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit that helped us bring innovative defense sector companies into the broader civilian contracting space…like the contract that helped NOAA and the Coast Guard get access to drones used to keep our coasts safe and support important efforts, like hurricane monitoring and relief.  

By working collaboratively across government and industry we can quickly find opportunities to leverage technologies already being used successfully in one part of government to benefit other agencies and their critical missions.    

We’re also using contracts to expand our reach in other ways – OASIS+, Polaris, and Alliant 3 are all coming in FY25. These are great ways for us to tap into more highly-qualified contractors, including small businesses, and for those companies to sell into the federal marketplace. 

It’s not just the contract vehicles themselves – we’re addressing decades-long pain points with the launch of the FAS Catalog Platform. This web-based platform is saving vendors a lot of time and money – instead of it taking over a month to add new vendor products, now it’ll only take a couple of days, so they can focus more on taking care of business and less on updating their catalog details.

We’re also working with Congress to update the rules that govern federal procurement policy, which are especially important when it comes to technology projects. Many of the rules governing federal procurements were written at a time when contracting officers had to page through paper catalogs to buy what they needed. Procurement rules focused only on price may have made sense for that time, but as we all know, the marketplace has changed a lot over the past 40 years, and it’s long past time that Congress follow suit and update these rules.

At GSA we support a “Best Value” procurement standard for our Multiple Award Schedule as the best way to ensure good outcomes for the government, while making it easier for businesses, and especially small businesses, to compete for federal contracts.

I am happy to report that this approach appears to be gaining traction in Congress, and a bill that would make this update unanimously passed out of a House committee in September. We’re hopeful that additional action on this bill will happen before the end of this session of Congress.

That same House committee also unanimously advanced a second bill that would, among other things, help clarify the rules around how the government pays for cloud services.

This clarification has the potential to save the government a lot of money, and provide industry with the certainty they need. The Senate passed similar legislation earlier this year, so we are making steady progress on that front as well. 

Now, I can’t speak to this audience without talking about FedRAMP. We know how important it is to get FedRAMP right because it’s the first and essential step to getting best-in-class cloud solutions into government.

We’re working to transform FedRAMP into the data-first and security-first program it’s meant to be. That’s why we’ve made significant investments into building out both the team and its infrastructure so it’s better prepared for the fast pace of digital change and ever emerging threats.  The team is focused on streamlining the process to make it easier for companies to use…all with the goal of onboarding more innovative solutions faster so agencies can more quickly access them to meet their missions.

Importantly, as we work to make these improvements, we’re staying closely engaged with industry partners publishing drafts, asking for feedback and incorporating ideas to make the entire process work better. 

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d encourage you to take a look at our FedRAMP roadmap – it lays out the type of services we’re prioritizing…and how you can help get your projects authorized for government use.

In fact, we’ve also created pilot programs where companies can raise their hands and help shape new ideas for how we can simplify the process. We want your voices and expertise to be part of this conversation.  Thank you to those who’ve already taken the time to participate and I urge all of you to join us and be part of the solution.

So how do we build on this momentum?

The way I see it, it’s a two-way street, one that requires intentionality and effort from both government and industry partners if we want to keep making progress.

For starters, Government needs to be a better partner. That means continually recruiting new talent, upskilling our existing talent and streamlining our processes so that we’re better and smarter buyers of technology solutions. And it means communicating better about what we need from industry.

So let me mention a couple things that we care very much about and that will impact our buying decisions. First, we’re committed to technology solutions that are secure, accessible, and responsible. Feel free to write that down…because those values are foundational to everything we buy, including emerging technologies like AI.

We’re also focused on reducing barriers and friction. Making it easier for agencies to integrate emerging tech solutions and services into their existing tech stacks – and for companies to provide those services. That’ll require being more intentional about interoperability and data access because without that, we’ll be left behind.

One way we’re trying to be a better partner and communicator is by publishing buying guides. How many of you have seen our recently updated De-Risking Guide that helps state and federal governments budget for and buy custom software? Let me see a show of hands? How many of you have seen the AI buy guide Laura Stanton and her team published earlier this year?

For those that haven’t seen those guides, I’d strongly urge you to read them because they present a clear roadmap of the path we intend to follow when it comes to tech modernization and procurement decisions.

I don’t need to tell you, the federal government is a big customer.  And our needs are sometimes unique.  And while it’s the job of those of us in government to communicate those needs it’s your job to understand them and deliver.  So please, check out our strategic plans… learn about where we are in our CX, user research, cybersecurity, and of course AI.

The President’s recent directive to national security agencies underscores the urgency of bringing powerful tech like AI into government so we can stay ahead. The better you know us, the better the end result for us, for you, and for the American people.

Another area where we need better partnership is around data and data access. I understand that may require some radically different business models, but going forward, it’s the only way for government to innovate and deliver for the people we serve. Interoperability and access to high-quality data is the only way forward.  And we need your help and collaboration to get there.

Finally, engage with us early and often. We want your feedback about where you think we’re getting it right and where we can do better. 

My team knows that one of my mantras is demos, not memos – we want you to show us your capabilities not just tell us what you plan to do. And we’re eager for you to engage with our RFIs – help us scope projects for success and better define the contracts you’ll bid on in ways that set our projects up for success.

Bottom line: I know every person in this room is proud to be a part of delivering better digital services to the American people.

And we all understand that we’re living at a unique moment of profound technological change…

But it’s also a moment of opportunity, a chance to  help steer the ship in a new direction.  We can set a course that meets the challenge of rising cybersecurity and supply chain threats, one that demands a new type of digital public infrastructure that prioritizes good customer experience and better stewardship of tax dollars.  A course that sets American innovators up to drive economic growth for years to come.

As I look around this room I’m convinced that we know the course, we have the team and we share a common goal of delivering seamless, secure and delightful digital services for the American people. 

All that’s left is a commitment to get it done.

Let’s get to work.