GSA modernizes the government’s largest digital initiative

GSA’s cloud-based Integrated Award Environment (IAE) is the largest and most complex of the government’s digital initiatives. ICF helped modernize its legacy systems, making it easier to do business with the federal government, enhancing data quality, and improving overall efficiency in the award process.

Through Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) development processes on the FAS Cloud Services (FCS) platform, along with other government-specified platforms, our team ensures the vital elements of IAE stay connected and adaptable while meeting the changing needs of users and providing a seamless, modern digital experience.

Challenge

IAE has thrived in a cloud-based environment which has evolved with government needs and integrated a wide variety of systems without sacrificing usability.

With almost 100 million searches per year, GSA must maintain a robust and stable website for stakeholders. The System for Award Management (SAM) website, SAM.gov, is the official IAE website the federal government uses to ensure an individual or entity is eligible to receive federal funds. SAM.gov must remain secure and accessible to government and civilian users through all updates and modernization efforts.

Solution

ICF deployed six development teams to lead the SAM.gov digital modernization efforts. We simplified the legacy web application into modern micro-front ends that enable modular development and product releases through smaller teams.

We led the design and implementation of a sitewide Content Management System (CMS) that enables GSA editors to update content across SAM.gov as needed and without code changes.

To optimize SAM.gov search-based workflows, we developed a natural language-based search and transitioned indexes from Elasticsearch to Opensearch. Additionally, our team re-engineered the architecture of the SAM.gov Save Search Email Notification—optimizing the functionality that allows users to opt-in to email notifications when new contract opportunities match their search criteria.

Results

The collaborative effort between GSA and ICF teams enhanced operational efficiency through iterative development, allowing GSA to push necessary updates faster while reducing dependencies and potential defects.

The CMS implementation allows real-time GSA content updates, giving SAM.gov users rapid access to accurate data. Moreover, the use of natural language-based searches allows users to perform precise searches and retrieve relevant results.

The Saved Search Email Notifications functionality is now capable of dispatching 80,000 notification emails, increasing efficiency by approximately 25%. And the transition of SAM.gov indexes greatly reduced potential licensing expenses, enhanced functionality, and improved security.

Our aim is to continue supporting GSA in meeting evolving user needs through a secure, seamless, and modernized digital experience.