The last few years have seen the passage of several large-scale federal funding packages, many of which have made their way to the state CIO's office. At last week's NASCIO Midyear conference, GT asked state leaders about any unanticipated challenges they've run across in putting that money to work.
A common response was to lead with gratitude for the opportunities the funding offers to modernize legacy systems, support connectivity and bolster cyber defenses. But New Hampshire CIO Denis Goulet made another point we heard more than once: Managing large sums of money is a particular challenge — nearly as great, he added, as managing a “shrinking business, where you’re cutting.”
“We have that fast pace that we have to go, particularly for ARPA because you have to have the funds encumbered by a certain point and then fully expended by a certain point,” he said. “What I find myself doing is pushing my team and the agencies harder than I might normally do to deliver results, so that we’re not leaving money on the table on those projects.”
As for Rhode Island Chief Information Officer (and Chief Digital Officer) Brian Tardiff, his skills developing and maintaining relationships with jurisdictions throughout the state have served him well in wading through the administrative requirements linked to federal funding like the state and local cybersecurity grant program.
"We wouldn't be successful in the execution of that grant program in particular if we didn't have those relationships," Tardiff said.
