San
Diego County issues Request for Proposal:
A phone system and urban uses.
John M. Eger, San Diego Union-Tribune, January 24,
1999.
In November last year, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved, in principle, a plan to "outsource" or partner with private enterprise for the provision of all of its telecommunications and information services.
Currently, the County�s services are provided through eight separate data centers and a complex set of fragmented telecommunications networks. According to Chief Administrative Officer, Larry Prior, these networks "are often unreliable, and aging critical software applications require replacement." The County also has experienced difficulties in hiring, retention and training of qualified high-technology staff.
Although several large technology initiatives are underway, in the wake of a technology revolution reshaping life and work in the 21st Century, the County is clearly falling behind. With a budget close to one hundred million dollars, the County Board of Supervisors is deeply concerned that it cannot continue its current pace of investment in new technology and still serve the basic needs of the region for health care and education, safety, transportation, land use, and protection of the environment.
The County, like other government agencies throughout the Country, is coming to grips with a harsh reality. If they wish to continue to serve San Diego citizens, and importantly, keep pace with the revolution in technology now affecting every segment of both business and society, a partnership with industry is the only alternative.
The outsourcing is a bold and creative decision. It also provides an opportunity to reinvent government. As the County put it in its request seeking industry support, "information technology has the potential to radically improve the value of services provided by the County to its citizens; dramatically reduce the cost of government; and raise the level of quality of our programs." This effort should also stimulate economic development, help preserve and protect our environment, and enhance the quality of life for all San Diego.
By partnering with industry, the County will greatly reduce the cost of capital needed to keep pace; provide the training and human resources needed to attract top support staff; and in the process, make San Diego a magnet for the knowledge worker of tomorrow and the high tech information-sensitive industries of the 21st Century.