Technology procurement is a dull, complicated subject that no one understands, and educating the public about it is needed to affect change, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an interview this week.
Newsom, who is running for governor in 2018, has been an outspoken critic of how the state buys technology and develops systems, on more than one occasion comparing the business environment to a "cartel."
"Somehow you have to make this interesting and meaningful to people. I’ve got to change my language, and I think all of us have to change the language we use to talk about technology in government because it’s just so damn important," Newsom said in a Q&A interview with Government Technology.
Newsom noted there's been progress on procurement, with California beginning to use ideas and expertise being put in practice by the federal government in organizations such as 18F. California, for instance, is using agile principles in an effort to modernize its child welfare management system.
But Newsom didn't mince words about his opinion of how California typically has procured technology:
"I have a lot of friends who are part of the problem, and they’re friends because they do some good work, but they’re also part of a system that’s frankly pretty corrupted by money, lobbying and by standard operating procedures. And we’re all complicit.
"I am ... well, I’m part of the problem, and so all of us have to own up to it. It’s not an indictment of individuals, it’s an indictment of the system at large ...," Newsom said.
Read the full interview with Newsom on Government Technology.
Editor's Note: Earlier this year Techwire interviewed State Treasurer John Chiang, who also is running for governor, about the state's IT contracting practices.
