First TMF award of 2021 comes hours after watershed $1B appropriation
The Department of Labor received $9.6 million from the Technology Modernization Fund to update its enterprise data platform, less than a day after lawmakers put a historic $1 billion into the funding vehicle.
DOL will use its funds to improve the availability and accessibility of data for other agencies, developers and researchers, as well as improve evidence-based decision making across its enforcement, compliance and unemployment insurance missions.
The TMF award is also a win for the three-year-old fund itself, which had only garnered $150 million in total appropriations prior to President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan Act into law Thursday.
“Technology is a key enabler for government in providing better services to the American public,” said David Shive, chief information officer at the General Services Administration and a TMF Board member, in the announcement. “The news of the Technology Modernization Fund getting a $1 billion boost from the American Rescue Plan couldn’t have come at a better time, and the TMF Board looks forward to receiving more project proposals like this one from DOL to consider for investment.”
The TMF serves as a streamlined way for agencies to get the money they need to upgrade aging and obsolete information technology.
DOL received one TMF award previously to make its paper-based work visa application process digital in 2018 for a $2 million annual savings.
The latest award comes on TMF’s third anniversary, having funded 11 modernization projects across government to date.
“With this first project approval of 2021, the TMF Board is reinforcing its commitment to invest in federal technology modernization initiatives that enable agencies to better deliver their services to the American public,” said Maria Roat, deputy federal CIO and TMF Board member, in a statement.
