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RECIPIENT: Texas State of Texas Data Center Services (DCS) Project
State of Texas Data Center Services (DCS) Project Host: Dianne Adams, NASCIO Programs and Education Coordinator Featuring: Lara Coffer, Director, Department of Information Resources, State of Texas March 19, 2008 Run Time: 11 minutes, 35 seconds Download
“Working together as an enterprise representing much of Texas IT presented an opportunity to raise all agencies to a higher standard for service and security. This level of performance simply would not be possible without the commitment of so many technology professionals to the process.” Carl H. Isett, State Representative, State of Texas
The level of collaboration was remarkable. The DCS Project involved over 400 state employees in an array of expert workgroups and governance advisory committees. Cross-agency teams guided the project, executed project work tasks, and prepared state government, as an enterprise, to enter into a very large IT infrastructure sourcing agreement. Emphasizing broad representation, working teams included executive and management advisory councils (governance), a dedicated full time project staff, transition workgroups composed of chief financial officers, human resource directors, federal funds experts, and IT infrastructure technical experts.
Applying the advice of leading sourcing advisory services, the DCS Project executed a procurement process that was ground-breaking in its sophistication, quality, and inclusiveness. Over 60 evaluators worked on specialized evaluation teams to develop the request for offer (RFO) specifications and evaluate bid responses. Employing a highly structured, iterative methodology of individual scoring followed by group analysis and consensus scoring, the evaluation process yielded thoroughly considered and fair evaluation results that delivered best value to the state.
In November 2006, the nearly two-year collaboration culminated in a signed agreement with a major integrator to deliver comprehensive data center and disaster recovery services. The seven-year contract, valued at $863 million, was one of the largest public or private sector IT sourcing agreements signed in 2006. It addresses 31 independent data centers, 16 mainframes, approximately 7,000 servers located in 1,300 locations, and 563 full time equivalent (FTE) positions.
The contract leverages the buying power of the state to modernize and refresh the state’s technology infrastructure, allows agencies to enjoy high-quality service at an affordable price, and provides flexibility to meet changing business requirements. Overcoming a lack of consistent levels of service, security, and disaster recovery preparation, the new agreement brings (1) heightened security levels for assets, (2) uniform, measured, and continuously improving service levels, (3) predictable costs based on actual consumption, (4) standardized processes and governance based on industry best practices, and (5) detailed reporting not currently seen in Texas state government. After taking all new and retained costs into account, the agreement is expected to save Texas $25 million in 2008–09 and $178 million over the seven-and-a-half-year base contract period. The arrangement will also return 210,000 square feet of state-owned space for alternative use.
NOMINATIONS: Click on the link to download program submission.
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