The Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 permits the Secretary of Agriculture to reorganize the Department, including both headquarters and field structures. The USDA Service Center concept is one cornerstone of the reorganization effort. By consolidating individual agency field offices into service centers, USDA will reduce its total number of offices while providing more efficient service at a reduced cost to taxpayers.

T-OPS provides the backbone network connectivity for the computing hardware and software sharing of information and data within the agencies and with external customers.

The Customer Service Tookit will facilitate the development, presentation, and dissemination of information by service centers.

The Office Information Profile (OIP) system identifies office locations, the agencies present, mailing and shipping addresses, phone numbers, and Agency representatives designated as points of contact.

The USDA Secretary's Memorandum 1030-30 established the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The CIO is independent of any other office or agency of the Department. The CIO reports directly to the Secretary and has primary responsibility, under the Information Technology Management Reform Act (ITMRA) of 1996, for supervision and coordination within the Department of the design, acquisition, maintenance, use and disposal of information technology by USDA agencies, for monitoring the performance of USDA's information technology programs and activities, and for assuring that USDA information management is consistent with the principles of the Paperwork Reduction Act and with information security and privacy requirements.