Hawaii took decades to sink into its current technological abyss, in which too much of the state’s critical data and functions were consigned to creaky computer systems that belong in a dusty attic. And now it seems that pulling out of that pit will be a painstaking, incremental journey — but one that the state can at least afford.
Gov. David Ige, whose background in the private sector is as project manager and executive in information technology, made a campaign promise of his capacity to make information technology improvements workable and sustainable.
He’s about to be tested on that front.
The governor last week canceled a request for "Statewide Unified Resource Framework" (SURF) proposals, an initiative for a comprehensive state IT upgrade. This is despite more than $11 million spent researching and developing the solicitation for those proposals.
Bids have come in — state IT officials would not say which vendors bid and how much — but they’re all too expensive, Ige said.
Instead, Ige maintains that much of the investment to date can pay off in a series of targeted improvements of specific state functions, such as human resources, payroll, time and attendance, finance, asset management, grants, acquisitions and budget processes.
The campaign to bring Hawaii into the 21st century, swapping its clunky computer mainframes for more resilient systems capable of better efficiency and public access, began in 2010. Then-Gov. Neil Abercrombie made a high-profile commitment to modernization, starting with the creation of a new post, the state’s first chief information officer (CIO).
But the comprehensive plan that emerged soon ran up against budgetary constraints, and progress slowed. Ige also insisted during the campaign that the plan was superimposed on a state employment structure that didn’t accommodate the new job requirements, which meant adoption of the overhauled IT processes would bog down.
It may be that implementing changes one by one will be the more manageable transitional path. The overseeing Office of Information Management & Technology seems to be on board with the approach, too.
Keith DeMello, OIMT’s communications manager, said the "legwork" done for the larger transformation plan, which would have consolidated more than 750 old systems into more nimble networks, can inform the new strategic plan being developed.
Comptroller Doug Murdock and the CIO, Keone Kali, are now under orders to extract the pieces of the transformation that can happen sooner rather than later. If they expect to convince the taxpayer that $11 million hasn’t gone down the tubes, they’ll need to go public with the particulars, and soon.
As for the governor, he didn’t hesitate with his pledge, issued in writing.
"We will use a business-like approach to prioritize projects that can be ready to deliver efficiencies and cost-saving benefits within the next two years under current funding," Ige said.
That’s quite a promise for an off-election year. The public, which will benefit from the efficiencies technology will allow, must hold him to it.
