The Challenge

When the U.S. Census Bureau prepared for the 2020 Decennial Census, it faced a massive hiring challenge: screening and onboarding over 500,000 temporary employees who would have access to sensitive household information across America. This temporary workforce needed to be thoroughly vetted to protect the confidentiality of census data and maintain public trust.

The Bureau’s existing hiring verification processes were largely manual, time-consuming, and struggled to handle the volume required for the decennial operation. With plans to process millions of applications, the Bureau needed a modern, efficient system that could:

• Conduct thorough background checks on all applicants
• Verify identities and employment eligibility
• Assess potential security risks
• Process fingerprints from locations nationwide
• Track applicants through the entire verification workflow
• Meet strict federal security requirements
• Scale to handle enormous surges in activity

This complex undertaking needed to happen quickly to meet tight hiring deadlines while maintaining the highest standards of security and compliance. Failure could potentially compromise the integrity of the nation’s largest civilian mobilization and the constitutionally mandated census count.

Our Solution

Prime Source Technologies partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to develop and implement the Census Hiring and Employment Check (CHEC) system – a comprehensive platform designed to automate and streamline the background check process for census workers.
Comprehensive Applicant Screening
CHEC was built as an end-to-end solution for managing the complex background verification process:

1. Identity Verification: The system verified applicant identities using multiple data points and cross-references, helping to prevent fraud and ensure accurate records throughout the hiring process.
2. Fingerprint Processing: CHEC managed the collection and submission of fingerprints from field offices across the country, interfacing with FBI systems for criminal history checks and maintaining detailed tracking of all fingerprint submissions.
3. Employment Eligibility Verification: The system automated the Form I-9 and E-Verify processes to confirm employment eligibility in compliance with federal regulations, handling complex scenarios including non-citizen authorizations.
4. Suitability Assessment: CHEC performed automated suitability evaluations based on background check results, flagging potential issues for human review while streamlining approval for candidates with clear records.
5. Workflow Management: The system implemented sophisticated workflows that tracked each applicant through the verification process, automatically routing cases based on results and ensuring nothing fell through the cracks.
6. Security and Compliance Features: Given the sensitive nature of background investigations, CHEC incorporated robust security controls for data protection while maintaining detailed audit trails for all verification activities.

Technical Implementation
To deliver this mission-critical system, PST leveraged its expertise in federal systems development and enterprise security:

Modern Architecture: CHEC was built on a modern technology stack including Microsoft .NET framework, with a service-oriented architecture that allowed for flexible integration with other Census Bureau systems including DAPPS (Decennial Applicant, Personnel and Payroll System).

Database Design: The system utilized Microsoft SQL Server with a carefully optimized database design to handle the massive volume of applicant records and verification data while maintaining performance across peak processing periods.

Systems Integration: Our team created secure integrations with multiple external systems including FBI fingerprint databases, E-Verify, and various government verification services, as well as internal Bureau systems like DAPPS and CHRIS (Census Human Resources Information System).

Security Implementation: CHEC implemented robust security features aligned with NIST Special Publication 800-53 requirements, including encryption, access controls, and comprehensive logging to protect sensitive personal information.

Scalability Solutions: The system was engineered with a scalable architecture to handle the extreme processing demands during peak hiring periods, with the ability to process thousands of verifications simultaneously.

Project Approach

PST provided end-to-end support for CHEC through all project phases:

Collaborative Requirements Development: Our team worked closely with Census Bureau stakeholders to understand both the technical and operational requirements, ensuring the system would support real-world processes in field offices nationwide.

Agile Development Methodology: We employed an Agile approach with regular sprints and stakeholder reviews to ensure the system evolved to meet emerging needs and could adapt to changing requirements.

Comprehensive Testing Protocol: Given the critical nature of the system, we implemented rigorous testing including unit testing, integration testing, performance testing under load, and user acceptance testing with actual hiring scenarios.

Knowledge Transfer and Training: We developed detailed documentation and conducted extensive training to prepare Bureau staff to effectively use the system, with special attention to security procedures and compliance requirements.

Operational Support: During the 2020 Census operations, our team provided ongoing support to ensure continuous system availability and rapid response to any issues that arose during this critical national operation.

The Results

The CHEC system successfully supported the massive hiring effort for the 2020 Census, delivering significant benefits to the Bureau:

Unprecedented Scale: The system processed background checks for millions of applicants, enabling the Bureau to successfully hire over 500,000 temporary workers across all regions of the country.

Enhanced Security: Thorough automated screening improved the Bureau’s ability to identify potential security risks before hiring, helping to protect the confidentiality of census data.

Dramatic Efficiency Improvements: What previously required extensive manual processing became a streamlined, largely automated workflow, reducing administrative burden while accelerating the hiring timeline.

Improved Compliance: The system ensured consistent application of federal requirements for employment verification and background checks, maintaining compliance across the entire hiring operation.

Real-Time Visibility: Bureau leadership gained unprecedented insights into the verification progress, enabling better planning and resource allocation throughout the decennial operation.

Cost Control: Automation reduced labor costs associated with manual background check processing, helping the Bureau operate more efficiently within its budget constraints.

The Bigger Picture

The successful implementation of CHEC demonstrates PST’s ability to develop and support mission-critical systems that enable major government operations while maintaining the highest security standards. By efficiently managing the background verification process for the massive temporary workforce, CHEC helped protect the integrity of the 2020 Census while enabling the Bureau to meet its constitutional mandate.

“Hiring hundreds of thousands of temporary workers who will have access to sensitive household information requires rigorous screening,” noted a Census Bureau official. “The CHEC system allowed us to conduct thorough background checks efficiently, helping to protect data confidentiality while meeting our aggressive hiring timeline.”

The CHEC project showcases PST’s expertise in large-scale secure system implementation, federal hiring processes, and mission-critical application support. It highlights our commitment to delivering solutions that enable government agencies to fulfill their most important responsibilities to the American people while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and security.