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November 22, 2009 08:18 AM UTC

How technically incompetent is the State of Colorado

  • 5 Comments
  • by: DavidThi808

Ok, this is a very small thing, but I think it is indicative of how the State of Colorado is inexcusably inefficient in their use of technology.

Go take a look at our response to a state RFI. The PDF file is a scanned in image.

Why? That’s an interesting question.

To send in this RFI we were required to mail (not e-mail, snail-mail) 2 printed copies and a CD with the electronic copy. That was the only allowed means to submit.

Clearly they then scanned in one of the printed copies to post up on the web. Which leads to the following inefficiencies:

1) The submissions are not search-able because they are images rather than the text.

2) The labor costs on the state’s end to scan hard copy rather than just copy a file emailed is higher. Multiplied by every document the state receives, this adds up.

My concern is not our one submission. It’s not even the cost to the state for every RFI that comes in. My concern is if they can’t get something this simple right, how many other places do we have other inefficiencies that are costing the state money? It’s not like there is a giant budget surplus and you need to find ways to spend it all.

It’s also weird that an administration that prides itself on being green – requires printing and mailing hard copies & CDs. That unnecessarily adds a small bit to the carbon footprint of this state each time it occurs.

I know the state OIT hates to try anything new, but this is ridiculous.

Comments

5 thoughts on “How technically incompetent is the State of Colorado

  1. I had a similar experience once at the Boulder clerks office. I was buying a copy of the voter file, and instead of just copying the .csv file onto my USB drive, they insisted the only way the could give it to me was by burning it on to a CD.

    It’s especially lame because a system to let people upload PDF’s would cost them next to  nothing (they could just use WSS, assuming they state doesn’t aready license full-blown MOSS).

    Hell, even a full-blown custom site would only cost a few grand, and would streamline the process.

      1. …if you want to do it really easy.

        But I’m a .NET developer….what’s that saying about looking for nails, and your only tool being a hammer? 🙂

        1. I’d love to see them build it on SharePoint – it makes a lot of sense (and they could then get our software for the reporting, docgen, etc). But…

          As the OIT employees still ride a horse to work because they’re not too sure about these new-fangled automobiles, I’ll take any improvement.

  2. That’s how much the state has lost on a transactional database designed to determine eligibility for folks needing public assistance. It’s part of the reason we lose at least $35 million a year in economic activity. Okay, so it’s not an RFI and it’s not scanned images. It is the Colorado Benefits Management System or CBMS. At one point does incompetence become willful ignorance?

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