Federal Department FOIA Modernization

Achieving agency missions through cost integrations

Modernizing FOIA Operations Through Secure Automation

The Need

A federal agency was required to meet strict statutory timelines under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including request acknowledgements, completion deadlines, and an annual performance report.

The agency relied on a decade-old internally developed case management system that lacked automation, standardized workflows, and reporting capabilities. As request volumes grew, processing times increased and compiling the required annual report required extensive manual effort.

The agency needed a scalable, compliant solution that would improve transparency, efficiency, and accountability while reducing administrative burden.

The Approach

The agency selected the cloud-based FOIAXpress platform to modernize its FOIA operations and engaged Appteon to lead business process transformation and implementation.

Appteon:

  • Re-engineered FOIA workflows across 26 organizational components

  • Transitioned approximately 700 personnel into standardized processes

  • Migrated more than 100,000 active and historical records

  • Integrated compliance-driven workflows and reporting automation

  • Delivered comprehensive user training and adoption support

The implementation was completed on schedule and under budget.

The Impact

The agency realized immediate operational improvements:

Faster Processing
Standardized workflows improved timeliness and consistency across the organization.

Automated Reporting
Performance metrics were captured automatically, enabling rapid generation of the mandated annual FOIA report.

Improved Collaboration
A centralized repository allowed staff to securely share responsive records and redactions, reducing duplicate effort.

Reduced Administrative Burden
Automation significantly decreased manual tracking and reporting activities.