E-GOV Initiatives
Benefits.gov
Benefits.gov provides a self-service tool for citizens to get information about agency benefit programs, which reduces the need for traditional channels such as call centers and mail. Department of Labor (DOL) is the managing partner for Benefits.Gov, and launched the site in 2002. Funding for Benefits.gov is authorized by the Economy Act and Section 204 of the E-Government Act of 2002. USDA features 33 forms of assistance on GovBenefits.gov. This includes a variety of nutrition, and rural development programs, as well as programs available to farmers and ranchers for farm loans, conservation activities and more
Partner Agency: Department of Labor (DOL)
Budget Formulation and Execution LoB (BFELoB)
The BFELoB provides benefits to partner agencies by encouraging best practices crossing all aspects of Federal budgeting, from budget formulation and execution to collaboration, human capital needs and providing tools and resources. USDA is currently using the Budget Formulation and Execution Manger (BFEM), the first shared service budget formulation system. USDA currently has 2,500 registered users for the MAX Federal Community. The community site is commonly used for sharing information, collaboratively drafting documents, supporting workgroups, submitting central reports and much more.
Partner Agency: Department of Education (DOE)
Disaster Assistance Improvement Program (DAIP)
Through Disaster Assistance.gov, USDA serves its stakeholders by providing referrals to and information to 17 agencies FOA’s related to food assistance, business loans, farm loans and more. DAIP’s outreach and education efforts also help raise awareness of these FOAs among the agency’s stakeholders at the Federal, tribal, state and local levels. For example, the agency recently deployed an interface with the Food for Florida Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) (the first state-based interface in the DAIP portfolio.)
Partner Agency: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI)
The Office of Personnel Management maintains the agencies electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPF), participating agencies get access to data provided by the eOPF Toolkit. This resource provides an online inventory of materials for the agency to reference policies, procedures, and communication campaign materials. Starting with assessment through maintenance, authorized users can access reference manuals and policy documents as well as sample presentations, letters and memos through OPM’s secure portal. USDA was the first Federal Department to successfully begin using the E-Authentication credentials to access eOPF documents.
Partner Agency: Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
E-Rulemaking
USDA’s use of the Regulations.gov web site and the complimentary Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) is the department’s primary area of focus for increasing the public’s participation in the process of developing and issuing regulations. USDA’s fourteen rule-making agencies completed migration to the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) on December 8, 2006. As a result, all USDA Federal Register rules, proposed rules, and notices have been made available for public comment on E-Rulemaking’s Regulations.gov since that time.
Partner Agency: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Financial Management LoB (FMLoB)
The Financial Management LoB is focused on financial systems improvements in coordination with the Chief Financial Officers Council (CFOC). There are thousands of interrelated systems and hundreds of stakeholders, including the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) communities across all Departments and agencies. The FMLoB provides the Department of Agriculture (USDA) with standards, requirements, tools, and services to support USDA’s financial management activities.
Partner Agency: Department of Treasury (DOT)
Freedom of Information Improvement Act (FOIA) Portal
The Freedom of Information Improvement Act of 2016 required implementation of a consolidated online request portal by the Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in consultation with the Attorney General that allows the public to submit a request to any agency from a single website. To meet this mandate, on March 8, 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched its new redesign of FOIA.gov and the first iteration of the National FOIA Portal. The new National FOIA portal provides customized forms for each agency to help requesters understand and submit requests more easily. The site also provides insight into the FOIA process including what to do before submitting a FOIA request, how to submit a request, and what happens after submitting a request. The FOIA.gov site also includes a wealth of agency-specific resources that are helpful to requesters, such as a description of each agency and links to their FOIA website, FOIA Reference Guide, FOIA regulations, and the FOIA Library. For all USDA FOIA offices except OIG, this first iteration of the National FOIA Portal directs requesters to the USDA Public Access Link (PAL), where they can then submit their request. For OIG, the National FOIA Portal sends an email to the OIG FOIA Office. In the next two years, the USDA will work with DOJ and the FOIAXpress/PAL provider AINS to implement mandated interoperability (deadline August 31, 2023) which will allow requests submitted from the National FOIA Portal to be created and submitted automatically as PAL requests.
Partner Agency: Department of Justice (DOJ)
Federal Public Key Infrastructure Management Authority (FPKIMA)
The Federal Public Key Infrastructure Management Authority (FPKIMA) will provide products and services including but are not limited to the following: Hardware and software required to continue to support the infrastructure, including potential upgrades as necessary. Continued operations and maintenance.
Partner Agency: General Services Administration (GSA)
Geospatial LoB
The sharing of data, services and applications through the Geospatial Platform reduced the number of data centers, as well as reduced the cost of data, hardware, and software and increased information technology (IT) security and efficiency. The sharing of data, services and applications through the Geospatial Platform provides users faster and more flexible and economical ways to share information. The Platform is hosted on a distributed, cloud-based infrastructure and is being used by government agencies and partners to meet their mission needs and the broader needs of the Nation.
Partner Agency: Department of Interior (DOI)
Grants.gov
Grants.gov provides a single location to publish grant (funding) opportunities and application packages, and provides a single site for the grants community to apply for grants using common forms, processes and systems.
Partner Agency: Health and Human Services (HHS)
Human Resource Management LoB (HRMLoB)
The Human Resources Management LoB improves USDA’s internal efficiently and effectiveness by streamlining and automating the exchange of employee human resource information. USDA has reduced process cycle time and increased the accuracy on all EHRI information exchanges and transactions. It has enabled oversight and allowed agencies access to current raw data and easy-to-use strategic workforce planning/analysis tools.
Partner Agency: Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Integrated Acquisition Environment (IAE)
The Integrated Acquisition Environment tools and services have allowed USDA to improve its ability to make informed and efficient purchasing decisions, enabling it to replace manual processes. The IAE offers a portfolio of services which facilitate all phases of the Federal acquisition life-cycle. IAE is a set of the separate systems; the System for Award Management (SAM), and various other systems to include CCR, EPLS and ORCA. The SAM is consolidating and sharing services currently duplicated in the legacy applications. The SAM’s efforts will increase efficiencies, streamline access, reduce redundancies, and improve data quality. These and other advances in shared service delivery will reduce the administrative costs of Federal contracting, support increased competition by making it easier for vendors to do business with the government, and increase transparency by improving the speed, volume, and quality of Federal procurement data that are available to the public.
Partner Agency: GSA
Performance Management LoB (PMLOB)
Activities of the Department and developing a performance-based budget. OBPA works closely with USDA’s Chief Operating Officer (i.e., the Deputy Secretary) on organizational performance management, including Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) and GPRA Modernization Act requirements. OBPA participates in the Government-wide Performance Improvement Council to ensure the guidance and tools developed by the council are utilized as appropriate by USDA.
Partner Agency: USDA OBPA
USA Jobs
USAJOBS is a job board and resume document repository for candidate information. It also provides Federal employment information to the public, coordinates recruitment across agencies and provides interaction with job seekers through social media. USAJOBS data is used by agency Program Officers and Chief Human Capital Officers to improve job seeking tools for Federal employment, and to influence hiring procedures and structure new initiatives in support of the President’s Hiring Reform.
Partner Agency: Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
