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California's IT Procurement Taskforce Recommendations Expected Soon

State Controller John Chiang said the task force may soon have recommendations on how to update the state’s policies related to the use of technology.

A high-profile group called the “Task Force on Reengineering IT Procurement for Success” announced by the California State Controller’s Office (SCO) earlier this year may soon have recommendations on how to update the state’s policies related to the use of technology, State Controller John Chiang said on Tuesday, May 14.  Chiang’s office has been working with the Governor’s office and California Technology Agency to ensure the state’s IT systems are not stuck in the 1960s and '70s, but instead “up to date and ahead of the curve.”

Announced in February, the task force includes well-known technology executives such as former California State CIO Teri Takai, Silicon Valley Leadership Group President and CEO Carl Guardino and former Oregon CIO and NASCIO President Dugan Petty, among others. The Chair of the Task Force is Rosio Alvarez, the CIO of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

“We want to make sure we have best thinking and best practices in place so as California moves forward with the use of technology, that we are thinking amongst the best… as to what we need to do,” Chiang told Techwire’s Michelle Kennedy in an exclusive interview.

The controller said the group has developed a draft report and is currently seeking additional feedback from stakeholders before soon coming out with a final set of recommendations.

The task force was announced after the cancellation of the 21st Century project, a multi-year project to modernize the state’s outdated payroll system. On Feb. 8, it was first reported that the state had cancelled the $89.7 million contract with vendor SAP after ongoing errors with a pilot of the project, also known as MyCalPays.  At the time, a spokesman said the state will use “all means available” to recover the $50 million in funds it has paid to SAP.

According an article in The Sacramento Bee, Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget includes a $14.5 million allocation to the program for moving employee payroll accounts back to the old system, fixing errors and legal costs.

This story was originally published by Techwire.net. Photo of California Controller John Chiang via AP Photos/Rich Pedroncelli.