Lawmakers lay out new standards in technology bond bill
Legislative negotiators on Beacon Hill have agreed to a consensus multi-year technology bond bill that includes $5 million to improve wireless access at the State House and several directives aimed at shoring up government's performance in an area beset recently by major problems.
In the wake of botched state technology efforts in the health insurance and unemployment insurance arenas, a conference committee that reached agreement on a bond bill Friday is calling for the state's chief information officer (CIO) to adopt new procurement standards that include provisions for effective project management and oversight, increased competition among technology services vendors, and use of commercial off-the-shelf products to achieve savings.
The standards outlined in the bill also call for short-term information technology projects to provide more flexibility, increased use of pilot programs, and the creation of a team of project managers to oversee and manage large information technology projects. The CIO is also required under the bill to conduct annual compliance reviews across the executive agencies in state government and publicly report results.
The bond bill is not subject to further amendment and will likely be approved this week by the House and Senate and sent to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk. Capital spending bills require recorded votes of the Legislature, which must be taken during formal sessions that are due to end for the year Thursday.
The state's most prominent technology problems of late have been at the Massachusetts Health Connector Authority, which has rung up tens of millions of dollars in unanticipated costs due to the failed rollout of an insurance exchange intended to comply with the federal Affordable Care Act. Patrick administration officials are testing a revamped site and are optimistic about its prospects to receive necessary federal approvals.
The bill authorizes $100 million for tech-related equipment and projects at the state Department of Transportation, $12 million in connection with establishing a confidential diagnosis, treatment and outcome-tracking data system among state agencies that interact with individuals with autism, and $38 million for a competitive grant program to assist public school districts in improving instruction and assessment through the use of information technology.
Larger pots of money are set aside in the bill for the Massachusetts Office of Information Technology ($220 million), State Police communications and radio network upgrades ($68 million), and upgrades to Massachusetts Lottery systems, including agent terminals ($65 million).
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