There was no shortage of big developments among the thousands of bids and contracts the state of California issued in 2015. Here are five that made headlines in 2015 that we are likely to hear more about as the calendar turns to 2016.
1. CalSTRS Awards $121 Million Pension Administration System Contract
In February, CGI Technologies and Solutions Inc. won a competitive procurement to configure and implement a new pension benefits administration system for the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS). CGI will be the system integrator on the $121 million contract, and Sagitec will provide the system’s software and technology platform. According to CGI, the solution will be built upon Sagitec’s commercial-off-the-shelf pension administration product, called Neospin. The system integrator will continue its work in 2016.
2. California Plans Modular Approach, Multiple RFPs for Child Welfare System Modernization
The Child Welfare Service — New System (CWS-NS), one of California’s largest IT modernization efforts, will be divided into multiple bid opportunities with the intent of making the project less risky and more agile, officials announced in November. The first RFP will be released before the end of 2015, and the Department of Social Services and Office of Systems Integration expect the project’s first deliverable will be completed during the 2016-17 fiscal year.
3. State Treasurer's Office to Use Alternative Procurement Approach in 2016
In December, Jan Ross, CIO of the State Treasurer’s Office, said her agency would be looking toward alternative procurement models in 2016. Specifically with regard to the debt management system, Ross said work is underway to improve the system without a complete replacement. The debt management system is dated, but is based around a functional core. Ross said vendors suggested bolstering auxiliary system supports as opposed to replacing the 2004 legacy system.
4. California Developing New Onboarding Processes for CalCloud Customers, Vendors
The Department of Technology’s expanded vision for the state’s private cloud will include new processes to involve more customers and vendors, officials said in August. The department wants to expand the pool of vendors available in CalCloud beyond the state’s contract for infrastructure as a service with IBM. To make that happen, there will be future opportunities for companies to participate in areas such as Vendor Hosted Subscription Services, Platform as a Service and Software as a Service. The state says it will develop technical criteria so that multiple vendors can qualify for these procurements.
5. California Opens New Online Procurement System
Vendors, bidders and suppliers that do business with the state of California will now be able to register online with the launch of Cal eProcure, California’s new online marketplace for businesses wishing to sell goods and services to the state. The new website launched in December is “designed to improve the experience of businesses selling products and services to the state of California” and replaces the previous system known as BidSync. The system will give users a one-stop shop for bidding and contracting resources.
