SACRAMENTO - An overflow crowd packed a California Department of Social Services (CDSS) conference room on Friday afternoon Dec. 4,, to learn more about a new agile procurement method for the Child Welfare System – New System (CWS-NS) project.
Attendees were given more details about the series of RFPs the state intends to release, along with an overall project update.
“This effort is monumental. The Child Welfare System is one of the most, if not the most, important computer systems for the Department of Social Services, our county partners, and child welfare professionals across the state. And we have to do it right, we have to do it quick, and we have to get these tools in the hands of our child welfare professionals as soon as possible,” said John Boule, director of the Office of Systems Integration.
CWS-NS is too important to wait five years for deliverables, Boule said. Consequently, the state has formulated a series of modular RFPs under an agile methodology. The bids for the first two modules – platform / API and intake -- are scheduled to be released by the end of this month. Additional modules will be released roughly every six months going forward.
Pat Leary, chief deputy director of CDSS, said this agile development approach is a first for California and is getting away from the traditional “waterfall” procurement.
“This gives us an opportunity, working in small modules with those users, to say, ‘Is this system what you need?” in real time,” Leary said, and then iterate on it as time goes on. It’s entirely different and exciting, she said. The state intends to develop in two- to four-week sprints.
As part of this procurement. The state will need to updates its terms and conditions (T&Cs) to adapt to the agile approach, said Alex Chin from the Department of Technology’s procurement division. The state also is looking to engage California-certified small businesses in this procurement, Chin said.
The state is encouraging vendors who have questions about this procurement to email them to CWS-NSP@osi.ca.gov. The state plans to host the next bidder conference (web only) in about two weeks. Officials also said the slide deck presentation from Friday’s forum also will be made public.
