Board of Pilot Commissioners Asks for $2.5M to Transform IT Environment

The state’s Board of Pilot Commissioners (BOPC) is gearing up to transform its IT environment.

The board, a small entity of five staff which oversees licensing and regulation of vessel pilots for the San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun bays, has asked the Legislature for about $2.5 million this budget cycle to support its IT Modernization Program.

Allen Garfinkle, the board’s executive director, outlined what the project will look like in an email to Industry Insider — California. The solution the board hopes to procure this year will cover “a wide range of critical functions” across its core operational areas. Garfinkle wrote down the business functions involved:

• Manage public meetings: Schedule, prepare for, conduct and track the outcomes of publicly held board meetings, as well as meetings for specific internal board committees
• Maintain adequate pipeline of potential pilots: Oversee the pilot trainee program entrance exam process, trainee selection and trainee training progress through to licensure
• Manage maritime pilot licenses: Annually review up to 60 maritime pilot licenses and ensure the accuracy and validity of underlying requirements, including monitoring compliance with and completion of continuing education requirements
• Conduct pilotage rate hearings and set pilotage rates: Oversee the process of reviewing and setting the pilotage rates charged by pilots
• Set and charge pilotage surcharges: Manage the process of setting surcharges collected by pilots, which fund BOPC operations and programs
• Administer pilot boat program: Authorize, track and fund the construction and/or capital improvements of boats owned and used by the BOPC’s licensees for pilot services
• Administer pension plan: Administer the pension plan for San Francisco Bar Pilots (SFBP) pensioners, including retired pilots and their beneficiaries
• Investigate incidents or misconduct: Investigate alleged misconduct and incidents involving piloted ships and track related board-mandated actions when necessary
• General administration: Maintain and oversee office documents and records, contracts, financial records, and reporting requirements

The board issued its RFP for the solution in February, and selected vendors to submit proposals for Phase 2 with a deadline of June 15, Garfinkle said. BOPC expects to execute the contract by September.

The effort is in Stage 3 of the Project Approval Lifecycle; BOPC is working with both the California Department of Technology (CDT) and the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on the project. Its Stage 2 documentation said the board currently uses applications such as Microsoft Access, SharePoint and Google Sheets to manage much of its work.

The board’s budget change proposal to the Legislature broke down what it plans to spend the project funding on:

• $1.9 million to procure the IT solution and professional services
• $418,000 for an IT project manager and Independent Verification and Validation
• $160,000 for CDT project approval and oversight

To see Industry Insider — California’s list of all IT-related legislative funding requests, click here.