GSA# 10441    
                                                                                                     
January 15, 2008          
Contact: Lindsey Willis, (202) 501-1231
lindsey.willis@gsa.gov                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

WASHINGTON, DC –   The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) today unveiled a newly designed USAServices.gov.  Developed to help government agencies improve their response and service to the general public, the site encourages agencies to work cooperatively and share best practices. 

“USAServices.gov was designed with government agencies in mind,” said GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Communications Deputy Associate Administrator Martha Dorris. “We can learn from each other; by sharing our experiences with others, we can transform our lessons learned into government best practices.  Best of all, by helping each other, we can become more effective and efficient in providing government service to those who matter most – our customers.”

At 95 pages, the new site is over twice the size of the old site, and includes enhancements with its users in mind.  The new site encourages site users to join communities of interest, share best practices, and become involved with USA Services' programs.  The new site also includes a new search feature and sitemap to help site users more easily find information.

The new website design brings to the forefront valuable information, procurement opportunities, and tools developed by USA Services to help federal agencies enhance government customer service.  Agencies can find information about improving website content; establishing and enhancing contact centers; promoting publications to the public; and taking advantage of training through USA.gov’s popular Web Manager University. USAServices.gov also proves helpful to state, local and international government agencies, as they experience many of the same challenges as the federal government in helping to serve the public.

USA Services is a Presidential E-Government Initiative tasked with improving service to citizens.  The program’s success has been recently recognized by the White House and awarded the 2007 President’s Quality Award – the highest award given to Executive Branch agencies for management excellence.  

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Founded in 1949, GSA serves as a centralized procurement and property management agency for the federal government.  GSA manages more than one-fourth of the government’s total procurement dollars and influences the management of $500 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 205,000 vehicles.  GSA helps preserve our past and define our future, as a steward of more than 425 historic properties, and as manager of USA.gov, the official portal to federal government information and services. GSA’s mission to provide superior workplaces, expert technology solutions, acquisition services, purchasing and eGov travel solutions and management policies, at best value, allows federal agencies to focus on their core missions.

Did You Know? USA Services increased its annual public touchpoints by 67% in 2007 to 222 million.