United States launches gov tech service
By GovInsider
Following Singapore’s lead in consolidating digital and tech.
The United States General Services Administration (GSA) has this week announced the launch of a Technology Transformation Service.
The unit will pull together digital services and create a team to experiment with cutting-edge tech.
“The Technology Transformation Service is the ‘launchpad’ to set us up for the next big expedition for the federal government in technology”, said Denise Turner Roth, GSA Administrator.
The new unit couples together the 18F digital team with the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technology (OSCIT) and the Presidential Innovation Fellowship (PIF). The OSCIT experiments with technology, while the PIF pairs private-sector technologists with top government policy-makers.
“By moving these programs into a new service, we are demonstrating a commitment to make agile, user-centered delivery of technology”, Rote said.
The new Technology Transformation Service has five parts: a procurement wing; an office of investment; the Presidential Fellowships unit; a cutting-edge tech team; a digital service and a consultancy arm.
The unit is similar to Singapore’s GovTech agency, which pools digital services to experiment with new technologies such as sensors and blockchain. Meanwhile, Singapore’s Smart Nation Fellowship program borrows from the PIF principles.
GovTech, however, will be structured around technology types, it was announced, with six dedicated teams: app development, Internet of Things and sensors, data science, geospatial, cybersecurity, and infrastructure.
The new office will house 293 employees and was launched on May 3. Read also: Singapore GovTech to set up six specialist units