The Legislative Coordinating Council this week approved a $293,488 contract for Propylon, a Dublin-based technology firm with a U.S. office in Lawrence, to perform technical support and upgrades for the Legislature’s custom software.
The firm’s contract had been under review since July. Legislative leaders blamed the software for glitches that slowed down the legislative process and delayed votes during the 2015 session.
The state has paid the firm about $16 million since 2005 to construct and maintain the Kansas Legislative Information System and Services portal, an integrated software system used for writing, researching and publishing bills. The system launched in 2011, and the firm has continued to provide technical support.
The new technical support contract, which will last from January through June, includes measures to ensure greater accountability. For example, Propylon won’t be able to receive $100,000 allocated to improve software use by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, the office responsible for writing bills that has repeatedly complained about software glitches, until that office signs off that the technical fixes work.
The firm’s contract will be up for review at the end of the 2016 session.
©2016 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
