Collaborate in Developing Cross–Agency Portals

What It Is

You should collaborate with other agencies to develop cross-agency websites (portals). This helps to provide the breadth of information and services available across government about a particular topic or audience group. This is a best practice for managing your agency’s website.

Why This Is Important

Cross-agency websites provide many benefits to the public and to the federal government by bringing together information and services from multiple federal organizations on a particular topic or audience group. These portal websites can improve the public's access to information and services, strengthen the quality of content, and provide cost and efficiency savings to federal organizations. Agencies need to work together to develop cross-agency websites rather than developing them in isolation. If cross-agency portals are not managed effectively, the public may not be getting a full view of all available information and resources, even though they believe they are.

Specific Policy, Legal or Other Requirements for Doing This

OMB Policies for Federal Public Websites require agencies to (#1A) “disseminate information to the public in a timely, equitable, efficient and appropriate manner” and (#2A) “maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public.” By working with other agencies to blend content across the government, the public is served quality information and services in the most efficient manner.

How to Implement

Cross-agency websites need strong leadership to succeed. In addition, cross-agency websites need to:

Meet a defined business need
Include all appropriate organizations
Avoid duplicating existing portals
Have sufficient resources to be sustainable.

Sponsoring organizations need to have a good strategic plan to ensure cross-agency websites are managed effectively. In addition:

Organizations should work in partnership to ensure that cross-agency websites provide value to the public and that the content is managed effectively.
Before developing and naming a new government-wide website, you should check the list of portals on the USA.gov website to confirm that a similar website doesn't already exist.
If you are thinking about working on a cross-agency website, share your idea with the Web Content Managers Forum. In addition to getting good feedback from your peers, you may get buy-in from other agencies who are likely partners in the effort.

Examples

GovBenefits.gov is an example of a federal cross agency portal.
Seniors.gov portal is an example of a federal cross agency portal on USA.gov.

Many federal public websites follow this best practice. This practice is part of the guidelines and best practices published by the Interagency Committee on Government Information to aid agencies' implementation of OMB Policies for Public Websites.

Page Updated or Reviewed: December 14, 2005