A method and a system are presented in which federated service providers interact within a federated environment to initiate federated operations. A point-of-contact component that provides session management capabilities at a first service provider receives a request from a client. The request is then sent, possibly using redirection through a client, to a federated user lifecycle management functional component of the first service provider, which may interact with a point-of-contact component at a second service provider to initiate a federated user lifecycle management function at the second service provider, which enlists the assistance of a federated user lifecycle management functional component at the second service provider. In response to completion of a federated user lifecycle management function, the point-of-contact component at the first service provider subsequently receives a response from the federated user lifecycle management functional component at the first service provider, and the original request can be further processed.