The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) and the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) have developed an action plan for navigating the ever-changing terrain shaping state procurement efforts and information technology (IT) updates. While Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) and Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have shared interests in working together to improve IT procurement, they face many challenges as states struggle to reform sometimes decades old procurement systems, and at the same time, keep up with the rapid changes of the technology landscape.

“Leading IT procurement transformation continues to be a priority for state procurement leaders nationally, and NASPO is committed to working with our IT partners to be at the forefront of this effort,” said Larry Maxwell, NASPO President and New Mexico State Purchasing Director.

In demonstration of this collaborative spirit, NASPO and NASCIO convened a joint roundtable in 2016: “Designing for Agility: Advancing IT and Procurement Modernization.” A key outcome of the roundtable was the development of an action plan, setting a vision forward for state CPOs and CIOs to work together to redesign the dimensions of governance and organizational structure, interaction and processes, and budgeting and forecasting.

Mark Raymond, NASCIO President and CIO for the State of Connecticut said, “Technology procurement is truly unique given the rapid changes in technology offerings. NASCIO is proud of the state IT procurement modernization efforts that have already been accomplished by working together, and state chief information officers stand ready to continue collaboration with state procurement officials.”

The action plan addresses several key areas of state government common to both specialties, including: Governance and organizational structure, teaming and roles, interactions and processes, and budgeting and forecasting