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CDFA Will Hire Two Vendors for Medical Cannabis IT Systems

A project management plan approved July 7 explains that developing a new track-and-trace system and licensing system for cultivators and nurseries is "time-constrained" and must be completed, according to statute, by Jan. 1, 2018. Vendors have told the department that they will need approximately 16 months to deploy the new systems.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has posted an online resource with more details about new technology systems it will develop the next two years for the medical cannabis industry.

In the Notice to Potential Solution Vendors, the department says it will be using two vendors: "one will deploy a Track and Trace system for medical cannabis while the other will be deploying a licensing system to license cultivators and nurseries."

The project management plan approved July 7 explains that these projects are "time-constrained" and must be completed, according to statute, by Jan. 1, 2018. Vendors have told the department that they will need approximately 16 months to deploy the new systems.

The high-level project schedule is summarized here:

cannabis-project-timeline.jpg

Source: CDFA

Mary Winkley, agency information officer for the Department of Food and Agriculture, will serve as the project director, according to the document. Carol Loney is the project manager.

The new IT systems are required by statute under the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) of 2015.

Because the systems must be functioning by 2018, the project charter assumes that alternative procurement vehicles might be used  although some documentation says the approval process will move through the Department of Technology's Stage-Gate life cycle.

Vendors that are interested in submitting proposals (when they're released later in 2016) are encouraged to sign up to receive email updates from the CDFA Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program.

Matt Williams was Managing Editor of Techwire from June 2014 through May 2017.