Background
The CDHS County Computer Refresh Program supports county personnel and management with computers and accessories for efficient and effective service delivery. Currently, CDHS and OIT complete three HP Lease County Computer Refresh programs. These refresh programs occur on a three-year cycle. These refresh programs include:
- Trails/CYF (Children, Youth, and Families) - This program provides leased computing assets for county Child Welfare workers. These devices are provided by HP and funded through Trails.
- CBMS Original (CO Benefits Management System) - This program provides leased computing assets for county eligibility staff. These devices are provided by HP and funded through CBMS.
- CBMS Supplemental (CO Benefits Management System) - This program is an extension of the CBMS Original
Creating a better process for counties and the state
Last year, CDHS and OIT have worked together to identify, plan, and implement changes to the CDHS County Computer Refresh Program to increase efficiency, transparency, accountability, and asset management resources. Through this process, CDHS identified a need to create a budget to ensure computer costs do not negatively impact other budget lines; document the process and expectations clearly to ensure transparency and accountability; and provide the needed tools for easier asset management. We completed the CYF refresh, which started placing orders in December 2022 and are now moving to the CBMS Supplemental refresh to start placing orders in November 2023.
Budgeting
- With a set budget, counties will now have flexibility on what equipment they order and what Service Level Option they choose. We will also not unintentionally take away from the CBMS operating budget.
- The Finance SubPAC approved the allocation methodology to ensure each county has enough funds to cover the amount of devices they ordered in the previous refresh.
- We know the allocations may not be enough to cover all eligibility workers, but we do hope this helps offset costs. You are more than welcome to purchase more devices with county money.
- Please see email for the sheet for all counties' allotment for the CBMS Supplemental refresh based on this methodology.
Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA)
- To ensure the process and responsibilities of each party are documented each county participating in the refresh signed an IGA last year. See email regarding folder with all executed IGAs for your reference.
- The current signed IGA references the computer refresh processes in general. To start the CBMS supplement refresh counties will just need to sign an amendment that references the specific dollar amount for the CBMS Supplemental. Those will need to be signed before counties can submit their orders.
Timeline
- Oct - County HP Refresh Office Hours
- DATE TBD - Deadline for receiving signed IGA Amendment or opt-out notification
- DATE TBD - Send counties ordering information
Resources and Office Hours: We will continue working with County HP Liaisons and County Absolute Administrators to coordinate the Supplemental Refresh Program. To prepare these county staff for success, CDHS and OIT will host office hours during September and October. Past training, program guides, and documentation can be found below:
- Recorded Absolute training sessions:
- Recorded County HP training sessions:
- User guides:
- County Portal Training and Resources
Once the final IGA Amendments have been signed by counties, County HP Liaisons, with the support of CDHS, will coordinate the ordering, installation and acceptance, and de-installation and return process for leased computing assets.
Please be on the lookout for additional emails in the coming weeks with your IGA Amendment to sign, refresh resources, and when office hours will be provided.