“We are going to probably go out to some of our existing vendors to … look for those pennies under the cushion, it’s literally that bad,” said Edmond Blagdon, the department’s CIO, at an exclusive Industry Insider — California member briefing last week in Sacramento.
At the event, Blagdon, along with CDCR Deputy Director of Integrated Business and Technology Solutions Jeffery Funk and Chief of the Office of the CIO Jasmin Williams, gave vendors some ideas on how to work with the department.
FUNDING IS TIGHT
Excluding staffing, CDCR’s Enterprise Information Services funds most of its IT work through budget change proposals, which are typically tagged for specific projects. So funding various ideas is a challenge and often relies on the legislature.
As a result, the department — and its vendors — need to get creative. Low-cost or no-cost solutions, or those that will save money quickly to justify the cost, will be more appealing.
“We’re talking to our vendor community and working with them closely to say, 'OK, we need to come up with these savings solutions. How can you help us, help you and help each other moving forward?'” said Williams.
Williams pointed to several examples of vendors successfully helping CDCR with funding challenges. That included moving to tier-based licensing, where moving employees to lower tiers costs less, ending contracts early when a renewal is coming next year and merging contracts with other state agencies.
In short, as state IT leaders so often say, they need partners more than vendors.
“Not just giving somebody a fish, but teaching them how to build a fishing pole, teaching them how to go out and fish, and then when they walk out, we can continue to eat,” Funk said.
PROCUREMENT
One of the biggest tips Blagdon offered for anticipating CDCR’s needs is to watch the budget change proposals it submits to the legislature each year.
Aside from that, Williams recommended that vendors be thorough when trying to win bids. She stressed that the agency is under very strict oversight and has had to pass on good vendors when awarding contracts because the vendor didn’t give the answers it needed to give to questions in solicitation documents.
“My biggest tip to you, if you get the RFP, read through the questions, be as detailed as possible,” she said.
She also said the agency is considering — but hasn’t formally embarked yet — trying to put out problem statements. Such statements are less formal than a request for information or procurement, but simply allow the department to collect market intelligence about what solutions exist to meet their needs. CDCR has tried vendor days to conduct such market intelligence in the past, but Williams said they often turned into pitch-fests without producing a lot of value.
