Illinois has made some great progress in procurement reform over the past year and CompTIA’s State and Local Government and Education (SLED) Council membership gathered in Chicago last week to discuss the current business landscape as well as focus on some new innovative technologies being used in the state.
Illinois has made some great progress in procurement reform over the past year and CompTIA’s State and Local Government and Education (SLED) Council membership gathered in Chicago last week to discuss the current business landscape as well as focus on some new innovative technologies being used in the state. Members heard from Ellen Daley, Chief Procurement officer and Tyler Clark, Chief of Staff at the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology about the current state of procurement. The state is moving towards new acquisition methods and is also widening its view on cooperative contracts, which is welcomed news to the industry.
Also on the agenda was a session with Jennifer O’Rourke, deputy director with the Innovation and Tech Department as well as John Mirkovic, Deputy Recorder for Cook County. These are two leaders on the Illinois Blockchain Initiative who discussed a series of pilots happening across the state that will use block chain for government applications. Illinois is certainly leading the way in these types of applications of this technology, so it was great to get perspectives from these leaders on how industry can engage.
The day also included a discussion with the City of Chicago’s Chief Data Officer as well as representatives from the U.S. and Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Overall, the day was jam packed with insights on technology in Illinois and members are looking forward to these types of SLED Summits in 2018.
Jennifer Saha is the National Director, Public Sector Councils at CompTIA
