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With
bipartisan support under the leadership of Gov. Mark
R. Warner, Secretary of Technology George Newstrom
and key members of the General Assembly, Virginia created the Virginia Information Technologies Agency
(VITA) to provide cutting-edge IT services to Virginia’s government agencies.
By consolidating Virginia’s IT services and
data storage operations under the management of
VITA, Virginia will establish itself as a national
leader in e-government.
The
Virginia First Team’s (VA1) plan offers a true
public-private partnership with VITA to implement
fully the vision set forth by Gov. Warner and the
Virginia General Assembly.
Led by Koll Development Company (KDC) and
EDS, VA1 is a team of private-sector, leading-edge
companies willing to combine their unique global
experiences and understanding of Virginia government
technology needs to successfully transform
Virginia’s IT infrastructure to the direct benefit
of Virginia taxpayers and the many citizens served
by Virginia government agencies.
World-class
Technical Solutions
The
VA1 proposal combines world-class technical
solutions with an innovative and achievable
financial strategy to facilitate the success of
Virginia’s IT transformation and ongoing
operations. The
VA1 plan also consolidates and improves Virginia’s
IT infrastructure and operations, creating a uniform
IT system with statewide computer applications for
all state agencies, while providing required
services at industry-leading standards that provide
significant cost-savings to Virginia taxpayers.
Rendering
of VA1’s proposed VITA facility
to
be located in Wise County
Data
Center
and IT Infrastructure Consolidation
VA1’s
plan proposes to construct and operate two new data
centers that will function as one integrated system.
The first data center will consist of approximately
53,500 square feet located in Richmond, with a
second data center of approximately 29,000 square
feet located in Wise.
The
two-location scenario will afford Virginia
the ability to utilize state-of-the-art technology
with the added insurance of prudent, redundant
infrastructure as a back-up system for each data
center to minimize the impacts of threats and
disasters. The
VA1 Team proposes to create a common desktop and
email system as well as consolidate servers and
establish a data storage archival solution. The
Commonwealth’s numerous Help Desks will be
consolidated into a state-of-the-art Help Desk in
the Wise County area generating 100+ jobs.
Network
Redesign
The
VA1 Team will eliminate many redundancies throughout
the state network, reconfiguring links so that they
support multiple agencies more effectively, and lay
the groundwork for VITA to operate a converged data
and voice network. The
proposal includes use of new broadband fiber
connections being installed across Southside
Virginia by Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative to
enable low-cost, high-speed, virtually unlimited
network connectivity; real-time data sharing; and
improved back-up capabilities between data centers.
Common
Statewide Applications
The
VA1 plan will eliminate many redundant systems,
implement common statewide applications and create a
centralized warehouse of information to generate
substantial savings and improve operational
efficiencies. For
example, the VA1 Team will replace the Commonwealth
Accounting and Reporting System (CARS) with a
statewide deployment of Oracle Financials for
managing agency accounts, giving budget decision
makers a detailed statewide view of all state agency
finances. VA1
also will enhance the common e-government Web portal
and further integrate agencies’ applications
enabling improved services.
Enhanced
Single Point of Contact
The
VA1 Team will work with VITA to re-engineer the
processes by which agencies respond to constituent
requirements. After
analyzing the current process, VA1 will develop an
integrated, customer-focused Customer Relationship
Management strategy that will enable citizens and
businesses to more easily interact with state
agencies and allow agencies to better serve the
constituents of Virginia.
Technical
Management Services
To
keep pace with changing technologies and establish
Virginia as a leader in e-government, VA1 will
provide on-going services to manage the data
centers, mainframes, servers, desktops, network and
statewide applications implemented during the IT
transformation. VA1
also will manage a call center in Wise County and a
Network and Operations Center in the Richmond area.
By utilizing VA1’s proven systems and
processes to transform and operate IT
infrastructure, VITA will take advantage of the
private sector’s innovation and expertise to meet
Virginia’s IT needs of today and the future.
Innovative
and Achievable Financing Strategy
VA1
also offers VITA a realistic financing package that
is all encompassing, innovative and requires no
initial cash outlay. The
VA1 Team’s financial plan provides a
cost-effective and flexible vehicle for financing
the entire project without burdening Virginia’s
balance sheet, debt capacity or credit rating.
The financing plan is straight-forward,
low-risk, and based on proven model that has been
successful many times before.
Benefits
and Support of the VA1 Plan
The
VA1 plan offers many benefits to Virginia, including:
The
technical solution, sound financing and resulting
benefits of the VA1 plan have earned enthusiastic
support from members of the Virginia General
Assembly, Wise County and several economic
development organizations.
The
VA1 Team
The
VA1 Team has the expertise and experience to partner
with VITA to achieve success on this ambitious
project. From
facility design to data conversion, from
construction to security controls, and from
financing to service marketing and affiliated public
affairs, VA1 has assembled an outstanding team that
VITA and the Commonwealth can depend on to meet
Virginia government’s IT needs.
VA1
and its subcontractors include many small,
woman-owned and minority-owned (SWAM) businesses such
as Code X, Inc., Pathwise Partners, Sycom and
Capital Results.
VA1 is proud to support these quality
companies and is committed to
exceeding Virginia’s own procurement requirements
for SWAM businesses.
Koll
Development Company (KDC), the VA1 lead, will be
responsible for securing the financing for the
project and for ongoing facilities management.
KDC, one of the nation’s leading commercial
real estate firms, provides a full range of
development and project management services.
Electronic
Data Systems (EDS), a pioneer in systems
integration, with the resources of 138,000 employees
worldwide, including several thousand employees in Virginia, will provide the technological solutions and
systems integration for the project.
Among its many client services, EDS currently
manages over 3,000,000 desktops and more than 35,000
servers.
The
Staubach Company, Inc., the only national firm
solely devoted to users of office, industrial and
retail space, will assist the Commonwealth and VITA
in locating an appropriate site for the Richmond
data center and has recommended the Wise site for
VITA’s consideration.
Ellerbe
Becket, one of the nation’s largest
architectural firms, with extensive experience in
designing secure data facilities throughout the
country, will design the two VITA data center
facilities.
Thompson
+ Litton, an award-winning, Wise, Virginia-based
engineering and architectural firm will also provide
architectural services for the project.
DPR
Construction, Inc. will construct the two data
center facilities to house the consolidated
platforms and operations (processing, help desks,
and network operations).
DPR is a national construction firm with a
Richmond office and is nationally recognized for delivering
technically demanding projects.
Troutman
Sanders LLP, a multi-service law firm with
offices in Richmond, Tidewater and Northern Virginia
and with experience in Public-Private Education
Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 and its
predecessor, the Public-Private Transportation Act,
will provide counsel and government relations
services.
Capital Results, a Richmond-based public affairs and issue
management firm with a proven record of successfully
generating support for complex issues, will provide
public relations and communications support for the
project.
Partnering
for Success
The
VA1 Team is fully committed to transforming
Virginia’s IT infrastructure and operation, and is
eager to partner with the Commonwealth to make it a
success. VA1
members have encountered and overcome the technical,
cultural and administrative challenges associated
with projects of similar scope, complexity and
importance. The VA1 team recognizes critical
strategies for success include creating an
integrated team of VITA and industry-leading
companies with common goals, utilizing a phased
implementation approach to create quick win
successes, and an effective change management
strategy to ensure success. VA1 is confident that
its partnership with VITA will reduce costs and to
improve the IT capabilities of Virginia to better
serve its citizens.
--
September 20, 2004
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