But recent years have seen these same states move away from the so-called mega-contract model, in favor of multiple smaller agreements that allow them more flexibility and agility in making smart IT decisions that better mirror the pace of technological change.
But the transition from one management structure to another is not always a smooth one. A recent audit of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee raised several concerns. But the audit took place very early on in the state's transition to a multi-source model, when Virginia was still embroiled in a lawsuit with its incumbent provider, Northrop Grumman.
At the NASCIO annual conference last weekin Nashville, Tenn., Government Technology caught up with Virginia Chief Information Officer Nelson Moe to talk about the state's path forward in the wake of the audit.
Expressing confidence in the path Virginia is on, Moe underlined how critical it is to work with an integrator who can bridge various contractors for the state. In fact, that's what the state is doing for its Medicaid Management Information System — breaking up the contract into several smaller ones in order to execute the work more effectively.
"I believe that in order to provide relevant services at the speed and scale for constituents, you need to have a professional integrator to do that for us," he said.
