Procurement Process For Major IT Information Technology Projects

Procurement - major information technology projects - authority to sign contracts - project plans - vendor selection - human resources information system procurement process evaluation. The internal process in connection with procurement for major information technology (IT) projects is changed as follows:

• A state contract for a major IT project is required to contain a clause providing that the contract shall not be deemed valid until it has been approved by the chief information officer or the chief information officer's designee, rather than by the state controller;
• The department of education is exempt from the definition of major IT project through June 30, 2019;
• Project plans for major IT projects are required to include a planning and analysis function to be performed by the office of information technology (office) to ensure that the state agency's desired major IT project solution is in accordance with the office's technology standards and to ensure that the scope and budget of the major IT project are vetted by the office; and
• On or before December 1, 2018, the office is required to establish policies and procedures regarding a vendor selection standard to be used in selecting a vendor for any major IT project. The vendor selection standard is required to include a process for resolving differences of opinion between the office and the state agency in the vendor selection for any major IT project.

In addition, the scope of the current contract between the state auditor's office and an independent consulting firm to evaluate state IT resources is expanded. The expansion is to include a review and evaluation of the procurement process for the human resources information system, also known as HRWorks, and to provide objective findings and recommendations that could help the procurement process for major IT projects in the future. The consulting firm is required to submit a report, containing specified findings and recommendations, to the legislative audit committee, the joint budget committee, the joint technology committee, and the office of information technology. After receiving the report, such committees, the office, and any other office or department that was the subject of recommendations made in the report are required to meet to discuss the implementation of the recommendations made in the report.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)