State Agency Streamlining Process With Cloud Services

The rise of cloud services in the past decade has been seen across all industries. In the state and local gov tech industry, about one-sixth of funding opportunities are for cloud computing services.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) is one of the government agencies turning to the cloud for its next generation of service.

“Over the last few years, TABC has been adopting a really top-to-bottom digital strategy,” said Chris Porter, a spokesman for the commission.

Last year, TABC transitioned from a paper-based license application system to an entirely online platform. Before the transition, it was using a system more than 14 years old, according to Porter.

“The ultimate goal is to have a one-stop shop,” he said. “Everything we do we want to be on this cloud-based system.”

Porter said the transition is being motivated by a desire to reduce costs as well as make it easier for companies that interface with the commission.

And the cloud transition at TABC is continuing beyond the new application system. Currently, it has a request for proposal (RFP) out for a new system to put tax identification stamps on bottles of alcohol, which facilitate taxation. The goal is to have a cloud-based system which will allow beverage vendors and distributors to handle the process with less TABC staff involvement.

“The TABC wishes to secure a vendor to provide tax stamps and a cloud-based stamp ordering system to be used by local distributors (packaged stores). The system, once successfully in use, will allow local distributors to order, receive and return tax stamps through the vendor, rather than through the TABC. Tax stamps will have features to increase security, reduce fraud and prevent counterfeit stamps. The system will also have features to allow electronic tracking during a field audit," according to RFP number E21061 posted at Texas SmartBuy.

“What you do now is you go to the TABC website and order [tax ID stamps],” Porter said. “Instead of TABC staff doing that, it will be handled by the vendor.”

This story is excerpted from an article that appeared in Government Technology, a sister publication of Industry Insider — Texas.