California Department of General Services and Department of FI$Cal Honored for Innovation in State Government

The California Department of General Services (DGS), in collaboration and partnership with the California Department of FI$Cal, was honored with a 2022 Innovation in State Government Award from the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA). The departments were awarded for creating the FI$Cal Purchase Order Payment History Search tool, which provides entities doing business with the state of California with multiple ways of searching for payment data and displaying information in a customer friendly format.

This NASCA honor recognizes state administrative department programs that exemplify best practices in operations and leadership. This marks the fifth year that DGS has won a NASCA award for the state of California.

The FI$Cal Purchase Order Payment History Search tool provides access to payment information for contractors, including invoices, payment information, and business certifications. Additionally, it helps to ensure statutory obligations are met, and businesses are paid timely. With public access, parties are held accountable for swift payments, ensuring financial solvency. Companies can better understand their payment status by using this tool, which saves valuable time and resources.

The tool also received a Best of California award for Best IT Collaboration by Government Technology Magazine. This honor recognizes the innovative and collaborative use of IT to cross boundaries in enhancing common business processes and public services.

As California continues to make strides in support of economic growth and stability for all businesses, the state demonstrates its commitment to faster payment processing and transparency as a core foundation for business partnerships through the creation of this tool.

DGS was also recognized with a Best of California award for creating a virtual courtroom experience with the Virtual Hearings and Digital Evidence Management System (also called Virtual Case Center).

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, DGS' Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) suddenly needed to conduct mediations, prehearing, conferences, and administrative hearings virtually instead of in person. To provide a virtual courtroom experience, OAH needed to procure and customize software to implement an online evidence management platform.

OAH procured and implemented the Virtual Case Center in three months and successfully conducted over 22,000 virtual hearings, mediations, and other administrative events between July 2020 and June 2022.

DGS' Office of Business and Acquisition Services also received a Silver Advocate of the Year award at the 22nd Annual State Agency Recognition Awards. This recognition honors state departments, Small Business (SB) and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) advocates, and state leadership for outstanding achievements in SB & DVBE advocacy and contracting.

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