2024 Impact Report

For the people, by the people

USDS delivers better government services to the American people through technology and design.

The people at USDS

USDS is a group of skilled technology professionals who work on short-term appointments to implement best practices from the private sector into the federal government. They aim to improve how government services are delivered to millions of Americans and federal employees by providing new technology perspectives and using their expertise in designing, creating, and implementing appropriate technology solutions. The talented team at USDS possesses unique capabilities, enabling agencies to accomplish their goals and objectives better.

How USDS works with agencies

Agencies are where the real work happens. To support their work and evolution, USDS partners with agencies by assigning small, interdisciplinary teams to work hand-in-hand with agency staff and contractors to deliver critical programs through technology and design. USDS can help an agency procure new technology, improve existing systems, or develop its own technical capacity, and learn by doing the work together. USDS transfers knowledge and expertise to agency staff, helps them hire additional talent, evolves their processes, and updates expectations. As the agency builds the right capabilities, USDS staff are recalled to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and assigned to another project.

Since its founding, USDS has collaborated with 31 federal agencies. It has four project categories in its portfolio:

• Agency transformation: Agencies looking to modernize or transform their technical capabilities come to USDS for help with implementation, process evolution, and technical staffing expertise.
• Policy implementation consultation: As part of OMB, USDS provides perspective on the technology implications of policy decisions.
• Program implementation: USDS helps agencies design and establish new programs or capabilities.
• Rapid response: In response to urgent situations, USDS deploys teams quickly across the interagency to solve critical problems. This can be in response to situations such as infant formula shortages or a national security need.

The long-term value and impact of USDS

USDS enables the government to consistently deliver digital services to the American public, catalyzing long-term change and resulting in secure, efficient, and mission-serving technology. Over the last 10 years, USDS has partnered with agencies to deliver material improvements to the American public. Some of the short- and long-term impacts include:

• 18.25 million Veterans able to use simpler, more accessible tools for health and benefit services
• 53% increase in customer satisfaction for 180 million annual SSA.gov visitors
• Over 749 million free COVID-19 tests delivered
• 130% increase in the number of rural and under-resourced families with broadband internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program
• 388 million bottles of infant formula, imported in a crisis, and deployed to the places that needed it most based on new data and analytics
• 900+ acquisition professionals who are now prepared to skillfully and efficiently help the government buy technology products and services, due to their certification through Digital IT Acquisition Professional training program (DITAP)

The following examples demonstrate the breadth of issues USDS has been working to address, the diverse range of roles it has played, and the significant impact it has had so far. The 2024 USDS Impact Report outlines eleven USDS projects and their implications. Upon reflection of the progress that USDS has made possible, it is evident that there have been tangible improvements in government services. However, more work must be done to enhance government services for the American public.