Harrisburg, PA – Three years after Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2023.08 to improve online services for Pennsylvanians, the Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) has made good on this promise by creating simple, seamless, and secure digital services.
These improved services have saved taxpayers over $10 million through in-house projects including the creation of the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit eligibility calculator to help Pennsylvanians put money back into their pockets, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)’s Track Your Permit Application to provide increased transparency for companies doing business in PA, and the My Benefits Status Tracker for Pennsylvanians to track the status of their applications for programs like LIHEAP and SNAP.
“Governor Shapiro set ambitious goals to streamline government, cut red tape, and save taxpayers money - and CODE PA has been one of the key engines driving that progress,” said Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver. “Their work has modernized critical services, reduced costs, and improved user experience in ways that directly support the Shapiro Administration’s priorities of efficiency, accountability, and innovation.”
“CODE PA was founded on the belief that government should be simple, secure, and designed around the people it serves, and that belief informs our overall strategy for information technology,” said Commonwealth Chief Information Officer Bry Pardoe, who served as the first executive director of CODE PA. “As CIO, my priorities are building modern, reliable technology foundations, strengthening cybersecurity, and improving the experience for both agencies and Pennsylvanians. CODE PA has been a critical partner in that work from day one.”
“We’re building the foundation for how digital government should work: shared, scalable platforms that reduce duplication and make services simpler for Pennsylvanians,” said CODE PA Executive Director Sara Hall. “These are more than one-time modernization efforts, they're long-term shifts in how the Commonwealth delivers digital services so we can move faster, lower costs, and create more consistent experiences across government.”
In 2026, CODE PA is amplifying its impact with modern platforms for permits, grants, payments, and account login that will transform how millions of Pennsylvanians interact with state government while advancing accessibility, consistency, and ease of use across agencies.
- Creating a Centralized Platform for Permits, Licenses, and Certifications - CODE PA continues to collaborate with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other state agencies on a centralized platform for customers to find, apply for, and track the status of permits, licenses, and certifications. This effort builds on the PAyback money-back guarantee system for permits, licenses, and certifications and the DEP Track Your Permit Application, both created by CODE PA, as well as the PA Permit Fast Track Program led by the Office of Transformation and Opportunity. The Governor’s proposed budget includes $3.7 million for CODE PA to modernize permitting processes in partnership with DEP.
- One-Stop Shop for Grants - CODE PA is building on the one-stop grants search tool on PA.gov to create a shared platform that also manages the application and administration processes for grants across multiple state agencies. Once completed, businesses, residents, schools, communities, non-profits, and others will be able to go to one place to find all the funding for which they qualify, submit applications, and track their status.
The new permitting and grant platforms will allow agencies to decommission outdated and custom-built solutions that are becoming costly and difficult to maintain.
- Modernized Platform for Payments - CODE PA and the Office of Administration implemented a modernized enterprise payment platform to process credit card and bank account transfer payments and are actively onboarding agencies. This new shared, scalable platform replaces several legacy systems with a more reliable, secure, consistent, and efficient solution for agencies and the people they serve.
- Creating a Single Login for Residents - With this new platform, residents will be able to access the services they use currently across state agencies through a single account and update their address and other personal information with all of them at one time, in one place. This will improve user experience by eliminating the need to create and manage accounts for each agency or service they use, as well as the need to remember multiple usernames and passwords. It will also allow the Commonwealth to strengthen security, reduce costs, and improve customer service. In March, Commonwealth employees and contractors began using the same new platform for multi-factor authentication to access the Commonwealth IT network and internal websites and applications.
CODE PA is leading a coordinated effort to help agencies meet updated federal accessibility requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. CODE PA has expanded accessibility training, established enterprise standards, and supported agencies to improve the accessibility of the Commonwealth’s websites and digital services to ensure they are inclusive and usable for all Pennsylvanians.
CODE PA is also using lessons learned and documentation from past projects to compile a library of reusable frameworks, playbooks, and designs to standardize and speed up the delivery of projects:
- PA.gov Redesign - The redesign of PA.gov served as the foundation for creating an enterprise design system for websites and online services that were developed by state agencies or vendors using other technologies. This design system, which includes templates, guidelines, and reusable and accessible code, is currently being used to update the PennWATCH transparency website managed by the Office of Administration. It is also being used by CODE PA and agencies to create checkout and payment screens for the enterprise payment platform.
- COMPASS Enhancements – In response to the Republican Budget Bill that was signed into law in July 2025, the Department of Human Services (DHS) and CODE PA collaborated with technology companies to rapidly prototype, pilot, and deploy five enhancements to the COMPASS system in approximately eight weeks. These enhancements are improving the application process for clients, easing caseworker workloads, and reducing the rate of SNAP payment errors. Clients can track the status of their benefit application online and reset their account passwords, intelligent document processing (IDP) with AI is reducing paperwork issues and errors, consent-based income verification through a client’s employer is increasing speed and accuracy in administering benefits, and a SNAP Case Checker tool is giving DHS new insights to proactively identify and address issues that contribute to Pennsylvania’s SNAP payment error rate. This set the stage for the creation of product roadmaps for each enhancement that align business and technology strategies for continued development and improvements.
CODE PA and state agencies are increasingly utilizing modern procurement processes and practices implemented last year in collaboration with the Department of General Services to increase speed, reduce costs and risk, and increase competition.
The Digital Services Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) is streamlining the selection of vendors experienced in user-centered approaches, and agile procurement guidelines are prioritizing incremental development and rapid deployment with specialized vendors rather than awarding a large, complex project to a single vendor that could take years to deliver a final product. Since its launch last summer, the Digital Services ITQ has demonstrated strong early success with 70 vendors awarded contracts, 37 purchase orders issued, and over $1 million invested in delivering targeted, clearly scoped, user-centered digital services.
“We are taking all the experience we’ve gained over the past three years and packaging it in ways that can be leveraged by teams across the Commonwealth as reusable, repeatable recipes for success,” said Executive Director Hall. “I am so proud to be leading this team that is setting national standards for what excellence in digital service delivery looks like, and excited to continue creating no-wrong-door experiences and content that serves all Pennsylvanians.”
Created by Governor Josh Shapiro in April 2023, CODE PA is fulfilling the mission outlined in his executive order to improve the Commonwealth’s online services to move at the speed of business, saving millions of dollars in taxpayer money, and creating a lasting impact on the lives of Pennsylvanians.
CODE PA has been creating user friendly online services that are making it easier for millions of Pennsylvanians to access benefits, programs, and information from Commonwealth agencies. In addition to those previously mentioned, these services include an online tool to determine eligibility for Governor Shapiro’s Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit (WPTC) and estimate the amount they will receive; a lookup tool for Pennsylvanians to find local assistance to apply for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program; a fully online application for Pennsylvanians seeking clemency; an eligibility checker and online application for the Keystone Challenge Academy for at-risk teens; and a new website and form request for Pennsylvanians to have independent medical experts review a claim denied by their insurer. CODE PA has realized $10 million in savings in its first three years by utilizing in-house staff and technology instead of contracting with vendors.
Last year, CODE PA earned five national awards for technology innovation and leadership, including for redesigning PA.gov and partnering with the Department of General Services to modernize IT procurement.
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