The North Dakota Information Technology Department working in cooperation with the State’s Office of Management and Budget State Procurement Office and the State Enterprise Architecture program will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to re-bid State Contract 095 – IT Professional Services Contract Pool. The state has an ongoing need for IT professionals in a variety of job classifications for both project-based and staff-augmentation work. Under State Contract 095, state term contracts are awarded to multiple vendors in specific IT contract pool categories.

The contract provides an efficient work order process enabling agencies to obtain quality IT professional services at good value. By pre-qualifying vendors based on the state’s requirements and establishing master term contracts, both state agencies and vendors benefit from lower procurement costs associated with work orders executed under this contract.

The State plans to release the RFP on Feb. 11, at which time it may be downloaded from the State Procurement Office web site:
http://www.nd.gov/spo/vendor/.

For more information:
Procurement Officer: Patrick Forster
Phone: 701-328-1992
E-mail: pforster@nd.gov
 

The Information Technology Council of North Dakota’s (ITCND) IT Career Awareness Program has received a $10,000 North Dakota Career Exploration Grant from the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education (ND CTE).

The grant program is designed to help education agencies increase career development and career decision-making skills among North Dakota students. ITCND will partner with Bismarck Public Schools (BPS) for grant implementation.

The IT Career Awareness Program seeks to inform students, parents and educators of information technology (IT) career opportunities in North Dakota; to encourage students to enroll in IT-related classes and program degrees at the secondary and post-secondary education levels; and to develop a world-class IT workforce for the future.

“The grant will help us make known the many high-demand, high-wage IT jobs in North Dakota,” says Gary Inman, ITCND president and Microsoft Fargo IT director. “This is a great opportunity to bridge the gap between education and industry and to get students thinking about IT careers prior to making their post-secondary education decisions. The program will not only benefit students but also have a tremendous impact on private and public sector entities striving to meet rapidly increasing IT workforce needs.”

In the months ahead, ITCND will work to secure additional funding for development and implementation of the IT Career Awareness Program and then to secure a program presentation administrator. This person will deliver key messages statewide to students, parents and educators. The messages will be largely determined from an IT workforce needs assessment and from program partner input. Implementation is tentatively scheduled for September 2008.

Program partners to date include ITCND, BPS, ND CTE, National Information Solutions Cooperative, MDU Resources Group, Basin Electric Cooperative, Microsoft Fargo, Dakota Carrier Network, North Dakota Department of Commerce and Bank of North Dakota.

Click here for more information on the program

Companies across all sectors are affected by new e-discovery rules and regulations. For information on understanding the law, coordinating and documenting e-discovery compliance efforts and making sure your company is prepared, take a look at this December Pittsburg TEQ article Don’t Delete – The e-discovery rules in practice by W. Scott Hardy, labor and employment attorney for Cohen & Gringsby, P.C., Pittsburg, PA.

With the 2009 legislative session less than a year away, it is time to begin shaping ITCND’s 2009 legislative agenda.

If you are interested in participating on the public policy committee, send an email to office@itcnd.org or call 701-355-4458 by Feb. 15. The committee will meet via conference call 2-4 times this year to shape and finalize the legislative agenda and as needed during the session to identify bills that ITCND will monitor and take action on.

ITCND will be using the information gathered from the 2008 ITCND Work Plan survey in developing the legislative agenda. If there are other issues you would like to see ITCND addressing legislatively, send your comments to office@itcnd.org or call Deana at 701-355-4458.

The North Dakota Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 2008 North Dakota Business conference March 4 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. The conference will feature a keynote presentation by former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.

For a complete agenda and registration information, visit www.ndchamber.com.

The Workforce Interim Committee has scheduled its Workforce Congress focus groups for February 2008. These focus groups will give businesses the opportunity to voice workforce-related issues affecting them.

Businesses interested in participating need to contact Jim Hirsch, North Dakota Department of Commerce Workforce Division director, at 701-328-5300 or jhirsch@nd.gov.

Focus Group Dates and Locations
February 5 – Grand Forks
February 6 – West Fargo
February 12 – Minot
February 13 – Dickinson

The Workforce Congress will evaluate the state’s system for addressing workforce needs through research, active participation in focus groups across the state, analysis of the studies, and a final report leading to legislation that will help North Dakota meet its workforce needs.

2008 ND Business Conference to be held
The North Dakota Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 2008 North Dakota Business conference March 4 at the Holiday Inn in Fargo. The conference will feature a keynote presentation by former White House Press Secretary Tony Snow.

For a complete agenda and registration information, visit www.ndchamber.com.