Public Sector: Sorting through the Noise - Vendor Selection with Reluctant Stakeholders

In 2012, an Orange County user group made the case to commissioners that the existing enterprise land management and permitting software needed to be replaced.  The system was adapted well for one group of users, yet still others in the process were excluded from any automation.  The issue became a key IT Strategic Plan initiative with the commissioner’s mandate to upgrade or replace the software with a streamlined system to improve customer relations, reduce manual processes, and improve inter-departmental workflow integrations. The project covers 7 departments and 3 municipalities, and encompasses several integrated processes of land management including planning, inspections, stormwater and erosion control, environmental health, fire safety and GIS.  Due to the scope of the project, a formal vendor selection process was required, including issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP).  This presentation will cover the key project management challenges of the vendor selection process including:

• Bringing together stakeholders from different divisions into a collaborative working relationships
• Creating a cross-departmental leadership structure to oversee the project
• Guiding non-technical staff through the requirements definition process
• Identifying defensible and quantifiable criteria for rating the vendors
• Sorting through the noise: the role of proof of concept scenarios and thorough reference checks

We will also review how decisions made during the vendor selection process are impacting the implementation of the project.

 About the Speaker: Connie Shiplett, IT Systems Analyst, Orange County Government

Connie Shiplett has experience in a broad range of systems analysis, requirements definition and implementation, with a concentration on data modeling and analysis. While working for Citibank Card Services, Connie was the project lead for the migration of data warehouse modeling and code generation software tools.  Her work with COMSAT Labs established certified data modeling and database implementation standards for communications satellite systems.

In 2011, Connie joined Orange County’s IT Department  Among her enterprise projects was her work with three County departments to define requirements and implement an automated, data-centric system for integrating the yearly Solid Waste fees into the tax system, mitigating several years of billing delays.  She is currently the Technical Integration and Conversion Lead for the County’s largest technology project – the Land Management Central Permitting System.