FDA Joins GSA’s Centers of Excellence Initiative

The General Services Administration has entered into a partnership with the Food and Drug Administration as part of the former's Centers of Excellence initiative.

GSA's CoE, housed within the agency's Technology Transformation Services office, will work with the FDA's Office of Information Management and Technology, the GSA announced Thursday.

“We’re bringing the best talent from within the federal government and the private sector together to collaborate and drive the next generation of customer-centric results at OIMT,” TTS Director Anil Cheriyan said.

The offices aim to strengthen FDA's technology modernization efforts by fostering an inclusive culture of employee engagement within the agency. 

FDA Chief Technology Officer Vid Desai explained that OIMT is responsible for the technical infrastructure of the agency across all offices and centers. 

"When we put our workforce first we know they’ll be better equipped to meet the challenges of the FDA’s diverse mission by enabling a modern organization, strategies and infrastructure,” Desai said.

The GSA previously also partnered with the Office of Personnel Management, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Government Accountability Office, National Institutes of Health and the departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Defense and Labor.

The CoE initiative was created to accelerate the information technology modernization of federal agencies by tapping the private sector for innovative solutions and best practice recommendations. 

According to GAO, TTS helps agencies make their services more accessible, efficient and effective by leveraging modern applications, platforms, processes, personnel and software solutions. 

The GSA is an independent government agency that was established to help manage and support the basic functioning requirements of federal agencies.