TMF gets a new executive director, issues 3 more awards

The General Services Administration’s Technology Modernization Fund has a new deputy executive director, Larry Bafundo, who is also filling in as the fund’s acting executive director.

His move into the post, which he announced on LinkedIn last week, follows the exit of former TMF executive director Raylene Yung, who left GSA last fall to work at the Department of Energy. TMF’s customer experience portfolio lead, Jessie Posilkin, had been the acting executive director in the interim, she said during an ATARC event on Tuesday.

Most recently, Bafundo worked in the Office of Unemployment Modernization at the Department of Labor. A GSA spokesperson told Nextgov/FCW in a statement that “we're excited to have Larry fill the role of the Deputy Executive Director, and GSA looks forward to continuing to strengthen the TMF PMO team, including identifying an executive director in the future.”

TMF also announced three new awards Wednesday. 

The Justice Department is getting $45.5 million meant to help its Antitrust Division keep up with increased use of chat-based apps in corporate communications, as opposed to email. 

Updated review platforms, better internal IT service management, increased capability of case management systems and a simplified public complaints process “will free up time from employees currently spent mitigating IT deficiencies to instead focus on the enforcement work they were hired to do,” said Walt Cain, the Antitrust Division’s executive officer, said in a statement.

GSA is getting $19.7 million in TMF funding for its eRulemaking Program, a shared service that runs regulations.gov and the Federal Docket Management System. The funding will go to near-term security risks and a multi-year move to a modern architecture, GSA says. 

Finally, the Armed Forces Retirement Home will be using over $6 million to implement a modernized electronic health record system that’s interoperable across other providers, unlike the current system.

“All of these investments are indicative of how the TMF can help agencies modernize nimbly and effectively,” Bafundo said in a statement about the awards. “The mission of the TMF is simple: invest in technology to make government services simpler, more seamless, and secure.”