NASCIO Issues Calls for State IT Procurement Reform

LEXINGTON, Ky., Thursday, February 25 — The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) today issued a call to action for state information technology (IT) procurement reform. In the 2015 survey, The Value Equation, roughly one-half (47%) of state chief information officers (CIOs) exhibit negative outlooks on IT procurement processes — a number which is consistent with results from the 2010, 2012 and 2013 surveys. Additionally, NASCIO’s corporate partners are 70% moderately to very dissatisfied with the state IT procurement process. One corporate partner responded, “disorganized, inconsistent processes, governance and standards across agencies even with a supposedly centralized procurement function,” continue to plague the state IT procurement process.

NASCIO believes that there are five actions states can take to improve the IT procurement process:

“True state IT procurement reform will not happen overnight and NASCIO’s five recommendations will not completely fix the problem,” said Darryl Ackley, secretary of technology for the state of New Mexico and NASCIO president. “State CIOs must work together with their governors, legislatures, chief procurement officials and private sector partners to ensure that states can achieve their vision of digital government and enjoy cost savings, efficiencies and enhanced services for the citizens they serve.”

For more information, visit www.NASCIO.org/procurement