Date: 02/22/2006
Final
John Picanso - OIT
SENATE COMMITTEE ON -- SELECT -- GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
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12:06 PM
Senator Groff distributed Senate Bill 06-149 concerning the oversight of communications and information technology resources in state agencies (Attachment A). He explained that the bill was referred from the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee for review by the Senate Select Committee on Government Accountability.
12:07 PM - Presentation by John Picanso, Chief Information Officer, State of Colorado
John Picanso, Chief Information Officer, State of Colorado, discussed some recent changes made to the Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT). He stated that the mission of the office is to increase the effectiveness of government through the use of technology. Mr. Picanso discussed the reorganization that occurred to the OIT last year due to significant budget reductions, lack of focus on core functions, stake holder dissatisfaction, and conflicting statutes. Mr. Picanso stated that the OIT addressed those issues by reprioritizing the office. He explained what has been accomplished by the recent reprioritzation of the OIT. Mr. Picanso talked about Senate Bill 06-149 and House Bill 06-1157.
12:12 PM
Mr. Picanso discussed efforts that had been implemented to solve past problems with the OIT procurement.
12:15 PM
Senator Groff asked Mr. Picanso to discuss Senate Bill 06-149 in more detail. Mr. Picanso stated that the intent of the bill is to shift the authoritative roll of the Colorado Commission on Information Management (IMC) to the OIT. He stated that moving the authority to the OIT would allow the OIT to work more closely with projects, and to assist other agencies with those projects. Senator Groff asked whether the OIT provides assistance to state departments and agencies with regard to developing information technology contracts, and if so what criteria determine which contracts come out of OIT. Mr. Picanso responded and talked about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contract where the OIT and staff consulted for proper language of the contract. He added that currently there is no staff offering contractual support to agencies. Senator Groff asked if OIT had any involvement with projects such as Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) or Genesis. Mr. Picanso stated that the OIT was predominately involved in the project management and project oversight arenas of those projects. He stated that the OIT, with the consultation of the IMC, made some firm recommendations on some of the CBMS project status. He added that the OIT is very involved in any project that is high risk, red status projects, and any project over $5 million.
12:21 PM
Senator Teck asked if Mr. Picanso had any chain of command over the department CIOs, which has seemed to be a problem in the past. Mr. Picanso agreed. Mr. Picanso was asked to comment on any shortcomings he sees in any of the bills that have been introduced to fix these problems. Mr. Picanso stated that he feels the bills do a great job in seeking to remedy past problems.
12:28 PM
Senator Owen asked who currently prioritizes technology projects. Mr. Picanso stated that OIT receives requests for proposals over the $25,000 threshold where they are discussed and reviewed on their merits. The recommendation is then passed along to the IMC where the proposal is presented to the Office of State Planning and Budgeting.
12:32 PM
There was discussion about adding higher education technology contracts to statute. Mr. Picanso stated that both he and the Chief Information Security Officer are working together with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to learn how the state can help in that arena. He stated that it would take a significant amount of resources to include higher education. Senator Groff asked about the role of Mark Weatherford, State of Colorado, Chief Information Security Officer.
12:38 PM
Senator Owen talked about making the system more centralized. Mr. Picanso discussed two projects that have recently been terminated. Senator Grossman talked about Senate Bill 06-149 and asked how many people report to Mr. Weatherford. Mr. Picanso stated that at this time there are no direct reports to him, but that Mr. Weatherford has assembled security teams that report security related matters to him.
12:45 PM
Senator Grossman stated that the Homeland Security Select Committee had heard about how vulnerable the state's computer system is. He stated that he feels there should be more than one person accountable for that security. Mr. Picanso stated that there are security practices in place and that the OIT is trying to improve them.
12:51 PM
In the interest of time, Senator Groff requested that the committee write out any additional questions they had for Mr. Picanso. Mr. Picanso could then provide written responses.