At 10 years, GSA’s tech consulting team (18F) celebrates over 450 projects to make government work better

March 19, 2024

Supporting Successful U.S. Government Modernization Projects

WASHINGTON — Today, 18F, a digital consulting office within GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS), celebrated its 10th anniversary of helping federal agencies use technology to better serve the public. 

Launched in March 2014 by a group of White House Presidential Innovation Fellows, 18F partners primarily with agencies to help them buy, build, and integrate digital services that improve government operations and enhance services. 18F has completed 455 projects for 34 agencies as well as the Executive Office of the President, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“Over the past decade, 18F has delivered value to the American people by working with agencies to improve the way technology is adopted, integrated, developed, and delivered government-wide. 18F has helped agencies navigate complex modernization activities and build key technology capacities that are often missing where they are needed the most, like product management,” said Ann Lewis, Technology Transformation Services Director. “18F has helped show agencies what is possible with government technology while also helping TTS evolve into a multifaceted organization that provides a variety of technology services and best practices to the government. We are excited to celebrate this moment.”

Since its founding, 18F has remained at the forefront of applying industry-leading principles to improve the impact of government service delivery, such as using  cross-functional teams, incorporating Agile web-development approaches (to encourage feedback and continuous improvement), emphasizing user-centered design, reducing risk associated with modernization activities, and more. 18F helps agencies adopt best practices and modern tools from the private sector while also adapting legacy processes and frameworks, resulting in more user-friendly websites and technologies that are accessible, secure, efficient, and meet people’s needs.

Notable 18F accomplishments include:

• Modernizing the Forest Service’s online permit and application process. 
• Streamlining the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s civil rights violation complaint submission process. 
• Supporting a new case management system for the Tax Court which makes it easier for many taxpayers to submit online petitions
• Creating a De-risking Guide to help both federal and state agencies avoid pitfalls in delivering successful custom technology projects.

18F continues to attract senior level technologists from many sectors and industries to drive innovation in government digital services. Today, 18F is involved in high-impact projects that enhance the way the public interacts with government such as:

• Working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to build a better way for agencies to request and manage .gov domains on get.gov. 
• Working with the United States Digital Service to support the Internal Revenue Service and Department of the Treasury Direct File project that provides many taxpayers with a free, online, step-by-step tool for filing taxes on directfile.irs.gov.
• Reimagining weather.gov with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help members of the public and emergency managers find, understand, and act on weather information and guidance.

18F also has partnered with state and local agencies that administer federally funded programs in places like Washington, Wisconsin, and Denver.

Many 18F alumni now serve in leadership positions at federal agencies including the Office of Management and Budget, the Veterans Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as state-level roles in California, Maryland, and Pennsylvania as well as San Francisco and Boulder.  

18F works closely in partnership with the Centers of Excellence under the TTS Office of Consulting. 

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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 about $100 billion in products and services via federal 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.

About TTS: GSA’s TTS applies modern methodologies and technologies to improve the lives of the public and public servants. TTS helps agencies make their services more accessible, efficient, and effective with modern applications, platforms, processes, personnel, and software solutions. TTS offices include 18F, Centers of Excellence, Presidential Innovation Fellows, and a diverse portfolio of TTS Solutions, including initiatives like FedRAMP, USAGov, Digital.gov, cloud.gov, and Login.gov.