The difficulty and complexity in procuring large system integration projects is well known and will only become more challenging as an experienced government workforce retires and their successors are not fully trained.
In an effort to be proactive and support the State's procurement professionals, TechAmerica's California Procurement Committee has proposed legislation to solve many of the issues facing organizations today. Assembly Bill 805, authored by Assembly Member Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood), to amend California Government Code Section 11546, would require the State Chief Information Officer (CIO) to work in cooperation with the Director of the Department of General Services (DGS) to establish an advanced curriculum and training program for State IT Procurement Officials. The program would be designed to provide State procurement professionals with the skills and training to work on complex IT procurement acquisitions as well as oversee the implementation of this program. AB 558 will require both the CIO and the Director of DGS to provide a report to the legislature by January 2017 regarding their progress in establishing this training program.
For more information on TechAmerica's Western Region State Government Affairs activities, please contact Kara Bush at kara.bush@techamerica.org or Russ Guarna, who manages the Association's California Procurement Committee at russ.guarna@techamerica.org.
