The Harvard Kennedy School launched a new network designed to help state and local government officials improve procurement policies.

Illinois CIO Jennifer Ricker established an office to increase the percentage of contracts awarded to women- and minority-owned businesses.

NASPO ValuePoint, a cooperative purchasing platform used by state procurement officials, will incorporate reviews of government vendors.

The company said the acquisition will add procurement and contract management to its stable of cloud-based services.

Cybersecurity should be a leading consideration in government's technology purchases, particularly in light of the SolarWinds breach, according to a new report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

The company, spun off from a 2016 New York City initiative, will use its new funding to expand the number of city governments that use it to source their IT purchases.

A 10-year contract with CGI is set to add new services to the state's purchasing platform, including collaboration tools to improve communication with vendors.

A report from the state's legislative auditor this week showed that departments did not communicate effectively as they rushed into no-bid technology contracts necessitated by the pandemic.

The state put out a call this week to organizations and community groups with ideas on how to boost the state's collection and transport of biological samples — quickly.