The U.K. and U.S. Meet to Forge New Steps Toward “Even Closer” Digital Collaboration

Editor's Note: The press release "The U.K. and U.S. Meet to Forge New Steps Toward “Even Closer” Digital Collaboration" was released on Thursday, September 24, 2015.

For Immediate Release
September 24, 2015

Contact: U.K. press contact: Andrew Francis: andrew.francis@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
U.S. press contacts: Jamal Brown: jtbrown@omb.eop.gov; Lindsey Geisler: Lindsey_R_Geisler@ostp.eop.gov

Washington, DC – Today, the United Kingdom Minister for the Cabinet Office Matthew Hancock, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan, and the United States Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith announced their intent to strengthen ties between each nation’s technical teams during a visit by the U.K. Government to the White House. The U.K. tech delegation is being led by Minister Hancock and HM Government Chief Technology Officer Liam Maxwell.

Governments around the world are reinventing the way they deliver public services because their people expect it. In their daily lives, people can file their taxes using their computers, and book a car service using a ride-hailing app on their phone. By adopting the best practices from the private sector and building digital services that meet people’s needs, we can make the delivery of policies and programs more effective. A more effective government is one that earns the trust of its people, and restores their faith in the institution itself.

“Without smart, energetic and connected talent our digital program would fall apart. By sharing knowledge and exchanging skillsets we build digital teams that are the best they can be. I'm incredibly proud of all the U.K. Government Digital Service has achieved over the last few years,” said Minister for the Cabinet Office Matthew Hancock. “I look forward to leading the next phase of GDS - transatlantic cooperation will be important in helping the digital operations in both the U.K. and U.S. government’s scale up and succeed.”

“Over the last few years, teams like the U.S. Digital Service and 18F have rapidly advanced America’s technology infrastructure and ability to compete in today’s digital economy,” said White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan. “By leveraging the very best of our two nations’ technical and digital talent, we’ll continue enhancing our governments’ ability to deliver critical services like healthcare, veterans benefits, and access to higher education, to American and British citizens alike.”

"We have such a long history of close technical collaboration and friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom. It's only fitting that we would continue this collaborative spirit for making parallel progress in digital government,” said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith. “We look forward to sharing best practices as we work to improve the lives of people in each of our countries.”

“I commend the U.S. for the great strides they've made to transform their technology infrastructure and I look forward to working with them even more closely in the years ahead,” said HM Government Chief Technology Officer Liam Maxwell. “I’m proud that the U.K. has been at the forefront of these digital reforms - with our open GOV.UK code now used by other governments around the world - but it’s clear that we need to work together with our partners to keep ahead of the curve.”

The U.S. and U.K. have a shared history of collaborating to accomplish some of our greatest inventions and technical feats. Teams from both countries did seminal work that created modern digital computing. Breakthrough work included the U.K.’s Bletchley Park code breakers and the ENIAC ballistics calculation advances in the U.S. By discussing best practices from the private sector and building digital services that meet people’s needs, both governments will make the delivery of policies and programs more effective.

The U.S. is building its web services to meet user needs, to identify and fix problems, and to help upgrade the government’s technology infrastructure with our digital coalition made up of the U.S. Digital Service, 18F, and the Presidential Innovation Fellows.

This work takes many best practices from the work that had already been started by the U.K., which aims to be digital by default, and build on openness and transparency to strengthen people's trust in government. In doing so, it is changing the way that the U.K. government buys goods and services, thereby saving money and supporting growth in the economy.

Additional Background:

This collaborative work builds on many best practices from work already started by the U.K., which aims to be digital by default, and builds on openness and transparency efforts to strengthen people's trust in government. This includes strengthening people’s trust in government by fostering greater openness and transparency, including the award winning GOV.UK single domain – which has received nearly 2 billion visits since its launch three years go. The U.K. Government has also transformed 20 of the UK’s highest volume public services to make them better for users and transformed the way it buys goods and services, thereby saving money and supporting growth in the economy.

The U.S. also continues to build its web services to meet user needs, to identify and fix problems, and to help upgrade the government’s technology infrastructure with our digital coalition made up of the U.S. Digital Service, 18F, and the Presidential Innovation Fellows. From the Open Government Partnership to the Solutions Summit, each country is committed to sharing best practices, improving digital services, collaborating on common projects, and championing each country’s growing digital economies.

Matthew Hancock is the United Kingdom Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Shaun Donovan is the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Megan Smith is the United States Chief Technology Officer.