Modernization priorities

IRS Official Asks Industry to Complement Agency’s Existing Technologies

The Internal Revenue Service is working to ensure that its industry partners understand the direction of the agency’s modernization effort, a top technology official said.

Kaschit Pandya, deputy chief information officer for operations at the IRS, encouraged vendors to change how they view the agency’s technology needs, Homeland Security Today reported Tuesday.

Instead of focusing on replacing existing products with newer generations, industry should seek ways to complement current technologies or fill in capability gaps, the executive said.

Pandya stressed that the IRS is more interested in consolidating hardware applications and in reducing footprint. “Help us understand how your product will help us take out other products,” he said during the Government Technology & Services Coalition’s IRS Days 2022.

For instance, the IRS is exploring how technology can be integrated with services, microservices, enterprise case management systems and artificial intelligence systems, Pandya said. He added that he sees AI and machine learning playing a key role in the agency’s modernization strategy.

The IRS is also known to be using software robots developed by UiPath to automate and better manage its finance and procurement functions.

A former procurement officer at the IRS has said that automation is helping empower the agency’s employees by moving them away from repetitive or unsatisfying tasks.

Pandya said that the IRS’ technology initiatives are geared toward improving the taxpayer experience in accordance with the Taxpayer First Act, a 2019 legislation aimed at reforming the agency’s approach to modernization, transparency and communication.