Federal Agency Aided by Key Partnership
February 21, 2022 by Meredith Trimble
One of the bigger lessons to emerge over the last two years is that partnerships matter. Going it alone, particularly in times of crisis, is rarely the best avenue for success. Chainbridge Solutions proves this point consistently, but in a recent notable instance, the technology service provider leveraged a relationship with Tyler Technologies to help a large U.S. federal agency overcome a significant hurdle. The successful partnership earned Chainbridge Solutions a 2021 Tyler Excellence Award for innovation.
Antiquated Security Processing
Like many large agencies, the federal organization that partnered with Chainbridge was saddled with a legacy technology system for conducting background checks and handling personnel security processing. The system was cumbersome for users and costly to maintain. System administration and support, for example, required up to nine full time employees (FTEs). Its limitations blocked useful integrations with the agency’s other internal systems and prevented new efficiencies. Innovation was also stymied. Agency leaders sought to leverage emerging technology such as machine learning and robotic process automation, none of which worked with the outdated technology.
The Power of APIs
Untangling those roadblocks and inefficiencies was no small task. Chainbridge Solutions came through with a new application built on Tyler Technologies’ low-code application development platform for case management. To accommodate the automation the agency desired, Chainbridge included a predictive machine learning element based on the agency’s record check results. Chainbridge also created a bi-directional connection to the General Services Administration’s (GSA) System Infrastructure Provider interface for USAccess. This marked the very first time a federal agency could exchange credentialing card actions without entering USAccess. Chainbridge Solutions used Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to enable these notable innovations. APIs additionally made it possible for Tyler’s platform solution to become the system of record for all agency personnel security information.
Automation Improves Operations
A collaborative implementation of the solution involving agency stakeholders resulted in a pool of power users able to administer the platform with significantly fewer support resources for operations and management. Easy maintenance is not the only benefit of the new solution. Core functionalities alongside flexible tools that can integrate with internal systems and AI provide the agency with a scalable platform to support current work more efficiently while facilitating future leaps in machine learning and robotic process automation.
This automation is already improving day-to-day operations. At the user level, the new system automates background investigation and personnel security processing. This means that job candidates are processed with improved speed and accuracy thanks to the integration of federal best practices, internal data systems, and machine learning. These predictive capabilities help the agency delegate cases based on complexity and fast-track the adjudicative process to onboard a candidate in mere days instead of months.
“These features have significantly improved investigative processes at our partner agency,” said Aarti Smith, president and CEO of Chainbridge Solutions. “Candidates are processed and onboarded more quickly and with better quality. For Chainbridge Solutions, we have further expanded our ability in emerging technology and can offer our other customers the ability to take actions on the data that flows through their agency and their systems.”
Chainbridge Solution’s creative use of the Tyler Technologies platform empowered the agency’s personnel security team, ensuring a safer, trusted workforce. The power of partnerships extends beyond this example, as the solution is repeatable and scalable for other agencies. This raises the bar for personnel security organizations across the federal government and holds significant promise for continued improvement.
Chainbridge Solutions won the 2021 Tyler Excellence Award for this innovative partnership and outstanding results.