HUD next in line for Centers of Excellence support

The General Services Administration’s Centers of Excellence initiative is getting its second host agency: the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Department of Agriculture was the first agency to host the initiative, which looks to bring private sector expertise to solve government IT problems. Now HUD will embark on a "discovery sprint" to assess the agency's modernization needs and challenges. GSA is putting the innovation experts at the Technology Transformation Service at the disposal of HUD to do the work.

"Today's announcement further demonstrates the strength, success, and momentum that the CoEs have already brought to bear in less than a year," said GSA Administrator Emily Murphy. "I couldn't be more excited to build upon the work we have begun with USDA by implementing these best practices at an agency as customer-focused and citizen-facing as HUD."

HUD spends about $400 million annually on IT, according to the federal IT dashboard. According to dashboard data, the agency relies on the waterfall method of delivery for more than two-thirds of IT spend. Most of HUD's major IT projects are rated 3 – as "medium risk" or in yellow on the red-yellow-green scale of the dashboard.

"In partnering with GSA's CoEs, HUD's business needs are our primary focus," HUD CIO David Chow said. "This first phase of the CoE will be led by program office experts with full IT support to streamline business processes and enhance taxpayers' overall experience."