Candace BarnettePennsylvania officials have announced a series of reforms to make tech contracting more efficient, pushing to increase competition for state contracts and protect taxpayer dollars from delays and cost overruns.
The Office of Administration and Department of General Services (DGS) are collaborating to adopt private-sector practices to make it easier to partner with the state, officials announced.
“Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace, and we need the ability to respond quickly to new innovations and changes in the marketplace,” Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver said.
The initiative includes breaking large projects into smaller components with manageable scopes of work, reducing risks associated with relying on single vendors while creating opportunities for more businesses to secure state contracts.
A July 2024 update to the DGS handbook emphasizes flexible approaches to building services with vendors. The guidance, pushing for incremental development and accessible design, led to the creation of a centralized system for permits, licenses and certifications across state agencies.
Officials have also created a new Invitation to Qualify process, allowing technology vendors to demonstrate their qualifications for future contracts rather than submitting full proposals for each project.
The streamlined process launched in February has reduced the number of questions required for IT purchases by 75%, according to state officials. The new system eliminates repetitive steps, allows concurrent reviews and automates workflows.
“This collaboration is about building a modern, transparent and efficient IT procurement process that delivers better results for the Commonwealth and our vendors,” said Secretary of General Services Reggie McNeil.
The state has also consolidated 93 IT policies into 34 and renamed them with simpler titles. Officials plan to further streamline these policies using generative AI tools to accelerate drafting of revised guidelines, targeting a 60% reduction in documentation volume.
Pennsylvania recently hosted “vendor days” where technology companies demonstrated cybersecurity and artificial intelligence products to state leaders, part of broader efforts to engage with the tech supplier community.
The Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience has also automated communications with businesses interested in state partnerships, addressing a backlog of about 4,500 requests while managing more than 6,000 new inquiries.
Companies interested in doing business with Pennsylvania can learn more about procurement opportunities through the Department of General Services.
Image by Kiều Trường from Pixabay
