The Department of FI$Cal (Financial Information System for California) has scheduled its second virtual Vendor Day for April 27, on the topic of Software Testing Tools. The registration deadline for this event is April 18.
Industry members seeking to present at Vendor Day are required to register online and outline how their proposals meet the needs spelled out for each monthly event. If FI$Cal determines from that information that a proposal is worth exploring, the vendor is invited to present virtually. The virtual events are by invitation only and not open to the public.
In the March 23 kickoff of the planned monthly series, eight vendors proposed solutions on the topics of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC).
“These events are an opportunity for FI$Cal leadership to learn about trends, best practices and solutions in information technology (IT) through dedicated days of presentations to FI$Cal staff by different vendors,” the department says in its April newsletter. “Vendor Day also gives FI$Cal the opportunity to develop vendor relationships, learn about new technology and improve productivity.”
By using the virtual format to hear proposed solutions, “FI$Cal is able to increase its capacity to provide continuous improvement within the FI$Cal system, while minimizing the impact of meeting with multiple vendors throughout the year,” the newsletter says. “This approach will optimize both vendors’ and FI$Cal’s valuable time,” said FI$Cal Chief Information Officer Toquyen Collier. “It will cultivate a higher level of collaboration.”
In the first Vendor Day, eight companies presented their ideas to FI$Cal leadership and partner staff, including technology tools and frameworks, that would enhance the department’s capacity for governance, risk and compliance.
“The FI$Cal team provided a list of parameters for a required GRC solution, so vendors could focus on their needs,” the newsletter says.
“Setting out expectations from the onset allowed for both vendors and the FI$Cal team to focus on only the most important information, saving time for all involved,” Collier says in the newsletter. “The vendors came prepared to share and explain how their products and services would benefit FI$Cal in particular, ensuring that conversation was focused and productive.”
In registering to present at a monthly event, vendors are asked such questions as whether their company is on the California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS); what is the solution’s name, and what is its core competency; whether the solution has a cloud component; and, if so, whether it’s certified with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) as moderate or higher.
