Sunshine Week: A look into Washington state’s pocketbook

Published: March 12, 2013

Big DataBudgetContract AwardsForecasts and Spending

Continuing Deltek’s recognition of Sunshine Week, when government transparency is celebrated, we’re shining a light on Washington state. The state offers a look at its “checkbook” for more than 80 categories on its main transparency website. These breakdowns detail how much was spent, in which agency, which month, and who the recipient was.

 

The five IT-related categories from FY 2012 examined for this data analysis were: software, archives and record management services, financial services, computer and integration services, data processing services, and communications.  

 

 

Of these categories, Washington devoted the most money to communications efforts – more than $137 million. The runner-up in spending was data processing services at $85 million. These two technologies combined consumed more than half of the IT budget for the year.

 

 

Looking at Washington state contracts in 2012, Washington State Consolidated Tech Services was awarded the most — 931 out of more than 15,000. The top-earning vendor was tied between AT&T and DES IT & Brokering Leasing Services – each signing 815 contracts with the state in 2012.  Further vendors not far behind include Verizon, Qwest, Centurylink, and Comcast, all of which signed between 590 and 720 contracts, respectively. It’s important to note that the commercial vendors listed above have a strong focus on telecommunications.

 

Analyst’s Take

 

While Washington state spent a fair amount of money on technology initiatives last year, it was only a fraction of its total spending. Vendors should note that the state is being very careful with how it distributes its funds. As most money was put into communications and data processing services last year, vendors should be on the lookout for upgrades and maintenance opportunities in these areas.

 

Additionally, there were very few cases of vendors only winning one contract over the course of 2012; therefore, vendors who have done business with Washington state in the past should consider themselves at an advantage and be aggressive in pursuing more contracts this year.

 

The following opportunities are currently being tracked in Deltek’s system and have anticipated solicitation releases in the near future.

• Incident Management Tool for Service Desk and Application Help Desk
• Digital Asset Management System
• Prorate Fuel Tax Reporting System
• Disaster Recovery Solution

Deltek will publish a full-length report, “State Government Transparency Report 2013,” providing detailed itemized IT expenditures for the state of Washington and many other states in the coming weeks.

 

GovWin IQ subscribers can learn more about these statewide contracts in the provided links. Non-subscribers can gain access with a GovWin IQ free trial.