State Government Associations Establish Action Plan for Navigating the IT Purchasing Landscape

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

Budgeting and forecasting

Read more about the joint action plan developed by NASPO and NASCIO by visiting www.nascio.org/procurement.  

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About NASPO

The National Association of State Procurement Officials is a non-profit association dedicated to strengthening the procurement community through education, research, and communication. It is made up of the directors of the central purchasing offices in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories of the United States. NASPO is an organization through which the member purchasing officials provide leadership in professional public purchasing, improve the quality of purchasing and procurement, exchange information and cooperate to attain greater efficiency and economy. Please visit www.naspo.org for additional information.

About NASCIO

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is the premier network and resource for state CIOs and a leading advocate for technology policy at all levels of government. NASCIO represents state chief information officers and information technology executives from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. For more information about NASCIO visit www.nascio.org.

AMR Management Services provides NASPO and NASCIO’s executive staff.  For more information about AMR visit www.AMRms.com.

Contact

Jill Midkiff, NASPO
859.514.9830
[email protected]

Kayla Leslie, NASCIO
859.514.9191
[email protected]