The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) earlier this month sent a Request for Offers (RFO) to selected vendors qualified in the state's Software Licensing Program in order to procure a licensing solution for the state's medical cannabis program.
The department is seeking a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution under a five-year base contract with three optional one-year extensions. Responses to the RFO are due Oct. 17.
Under its Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program, CDFA is planning to develop two technology systems supporting regulatory activities — the licensing system to license cultivators and nurseries, and a "track and trace" system to follow cannabis products from seed to sale.
Separately, the California Department of Public Health and the Department of Consumer Affairs plan to each develop their own licensing systems. Consumer Affairs will license transporters, distributors, dispensaries and testing laboratories, and Public Health will license manufacturers of products, such as edibles, according to the state. Food and Agriculture will license cultivators.
According to Techwire sources, CDFA's track and trace system could be procured through the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS). The other two licensing systems could be developed through the Department of General Services IT Master Service Agreement.
The new IT systems for the medical cannabis industry are required by statute under the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA) of 2015. The systems must be functioning by January 2018, according to the law.
