U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Ed Forst said the agency is working toward a future in which citizens can access federal services through a single government portal.
Speaking today at IBM Think Gov 2026 in Washington, D.C., Forst described a future in which citizens can access federal services through one unified portal, reducing fragmentation and simplifying interactions with government.
“We’re going to get to one portal, which is going to be so good for the American citizen to be able to find one way into all the stuff we do,” Forst said.
The effort, he explained, would build on Login.gov, the U.S. government’s universal “digital front door,” operated by GSA’s Technology Transformation Services. Forst said the goal is not simply to modernize technology systems, but to improve how citizens access and navigate federal services across agencies.
Forst tied that vision to GSA’s broader role as a shared-services provider across the federal government. He described the agency as “the machine to the government’s mission,” noting that GSA supports roughly 400 federal customers through procurement, real estate, technology, and fleet management services.
“GSA is the tip of the civilian spear at bringing AI out to the civilian government … that’s both how we onboard technologies, test them, and give some standards around it, so each CIO of every government agency can make their own determinations,” Forst said.
In addition, Forst highlighted GSA’s efforts to measure the impact of AI adoption across government. While the agency is approaching a milestone of 1 million hours saved through AI-enabled efficiencies, he said success must be measured by outcomes as well as productivity gains.
“On AI … now we’ve got to renew those things and make sure that there’s sustainability to it … also measuring outcomes from AI,” Forst said. “We’re at the doorstep right now, saying we got to a million hours saved. Now that’s one metric, and that’s dramatic … I’m also focused on how are we better for it,” Forst said.
Forst said agencies should view AI and other emerging technologies as long-term investments rather than short-term expenditures. He pointed to quantum technology as one example of where government and industry should focus future investments.
Forst also said that government technology strategies should be built around future mission needs rather than efforts to update aging systems. He said GSA has largely stopped using the term “modernization” because it implies catching up to existing technology rather than anticipating future requirements.
“Modern doesn’t speak to what I think GSA is or ought to be … you pass the puck to where the player is going to be,” he said. “We have to think and act more that way and do that with [industry].”
For GSA, he said the agency needs to evaluate technology investments and shared services through a five- to 10-year horizon, focusing on where federal operations need to be rather than where they are today.
“It’s not just about today, it’s about tomorrow’s tomorrow, and what we’re trying to get done,” he said, encouraging industry partners to help define that future state.