State CIOs Gain More Clout

As state CIOs watch their IT budgets get the ax, solution providers are also feeling their pain. At the recent National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) midyear conference in Pittsburgh, technology chiefs made clear to their partners that money is not flowing freely these days,and it won't be anytime soon.

State CIOs are under pressure to put on the squeeze when negotiating IT contracts. French Caldwell, a research director at Gartner whose specialties include public technology policy and government strategies, urged state CIOs to leverage their purchasing power.

"You can begin to put some pressure on the vendors to improve the quality of the software, look at terms and conditions, and when [contracts] say, 'Thou shalt not share any information about systems,' negotiate that out," Caldwell told the group of CIOs.

But putting too tight a squeeze on solution providers and government contractors can also backfire, they warn.

"It's important to remember that we, as vendors, are in the business of making money," said Cheryl Janey, vice president for state and local solutions at Northrop Grumman. "If we are called on to be too clairvoyant, or the contracting terms are unfavorable, increasingly, you'll see [us] walking away."

Nevertheless, the growing clout of CIOs is beneficial to the growth of IT initiatives, said Steve Kolodney, vice president of digital government at AMS and the vendor representative for NASCIO's corporate leadership committee, a group consisting of CIOs, government integrators and vendor officials.

"I think we're all concerned that that leadership should be maintained," Kolodney said. "It's important that CIOs have a strong voice in explaining the value of what technology brings to these programs and services."

In the past two years, state CIOs have gained significantly more influence over IT decision-making, in part because many report directly to governors and are viewed as those trying to bridge best business practices and policies with solutions.

While state CIOs are gaining more clout,from the statehouses to agencies and legislatures as well as with the feds,much work remains to be done. State CIOs still must be seen as both technology decision-makers whose interests are equally aligned with providing improved policy outcomes, said Thom Rubel, director of state IT programs for the National Governors Association.

"Most policy-makers view IT as a way to implement a solution, but don't think of it first as a potential solution," Rubel said.

To that end, Gerry Wethington, CIO of Missouri and president of NASCIO, said state technology chiefs are looking to deliver a consistent message. That is especially important given the fact that nearly half of them are new.

"In the end, what we're talking about is how do you use technology to make for more efficient government," Wethington said. "Yes, there might be different methods and paths you can take, but we ought to be able to agree on some valid and viable alternatives so we don't give mixed messages."