Government Technology first reported on the effort in early December, when state CIO Stu Davis outlined his goal of not only streamlining IT procurements within state government, but also making state contracts accessible to lesser-known service providers.
According to the state’s procurement opportunity website, an inquiry period will be open until Feb. 3, and bids will be opened by the state on Feb. 17. The website lists the estimated award date as March 17.
Davis said last December that he had informally partnered with 18F, the digital federal consultancy within the General Services Administration, for advice on how to better align state resources under the Ohio Department of Administrative Services’ purview.
Rather than relying on a system of onboarding new contractors annually, the CIO said the new process will allow for more regular updates to the state's list of service providers.
Theprocurement effort will give the state new analytics capabilities in the areas of audit compliance and regulation; crime, corrections and recidivism; cybersecurity; education; environmental and natural resources; government process automation; life sciences and public health; public safety and security; risk management; transportation; utilities; waste, fraud and abuse; and workforce.
