The Department of Community Services and Development will soon have a new system that will consolidate several outdated, stand-alone systems and databases and simplify the process of meeting mandated federal reporting guidelines, according to a department spokeswoman.
The department recently awarded a $1.137 million contract to C&G Technology Services, Inc., to complete the two-phase Combined Output Reporting Engine (CORE) project that will result in a centralized, web-based software application containing the department’s state and local information, said Rachel Arrezola, the department’s chief of legislative and public affairs. Replacing stand-alone systems and work arounds with a centralized database will allow the department to perform a function that has proved difficult in the past, she said.
"This project will implement a solution for the state to more efficiently and effectively administer CSD programs and meet federal reporting requirements," Arrezola said.
The department expects the new system, which will also allow the tracking of the performance and payments for local service providers, to be active by the end of the year and potentially in time for completion of the federal household report due in December, according to the project’s Request for Offer released in January.
C&G Technology Services, a staffing and solutions provider based in Sacramento, was awarded the contract in early April and has started the first phase of the project. After assessing the department’s needs and requirements and conducting a cost-benefit analysis, C&G Technology will offer the state solutions and allow the state to determine the best fit.
According to the department’s website, CSD partners with community-based organizations to help low-income Californians achieve and maintain self-sufficiency, among other things. The department administers California’s federal funding share for the Community Services Block Grant, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Weatherization Assistance Program and Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program.
