For a small government authority in Colorado, the mission is simple: help governments put information and services online for residents. The authority, Colorado SIPA, is the official oversight of the colorado.gov Portal and exists to serve every type of Colorado government with the same secure and efficient services through its completely self-funded model.
Colorado SIPA is this cool mix of government, partner, and technology. Able to work with every government entity in the state, its catalog of services leaves nothing, and no one, left out. From the large state agency running vehicle registration renewals through colorado.gov’s Payment Processing to the small special district without a website that recently found out that CO HB19-1087 is requiring meeting notices to be posted online… having an official statewide portal delivers the ability to connect all levels of government through a consistent and resident trusted network.
In a world where there is literally nothing I cannot learn from my smartphone, I expect my government to be connected too. In doing this, it is important that governments continue to find the sweet spot between innovation and security without compromising accessibility and efficiency. Having an entity that can oversee a statewide portal but also provide assistance in completing local projects really makes an attempt at leveling the playing field.
The colorado.gov Portal
SIPA is able to provide, through our portal integrator, free websites, payment processing, event applications and custom online form development. The relationship between Colorado SIPA and our portal integrator is imperative as SIPA is the official oversight of colorado.gov Portal which encompasses the services and solutions that our portal integrator develops within the context of Colorado.
Other SaaS Solutions
Having buying power for the state means that SIPA can purchase licenses in bulk and provide them to government entities at a lower rate. Freeing up capital to buy the other things that are important for the entity’s government business and saving time by eliminating the RFP process.
The Micro-Grant Program
Colorado SIPA is in a unique position, guided by statute, to help governments transact business with their residents and keep them informed, and while SIPA does offer a selection of services, sometimes a government is still looking for something else. The Micro-Grant program exists to help offset the costs of projects (large or small) that are important for governments to complete but that do not have a one-size-fits-all approach. Within the scope of “putting information and services online”, Colorado SIPA has awarded over $1 million to all types of projects, from digitization to website development on colorado.gov, to SaaS implementation, to application development, to kiosks for resident engagement. Being self-funded means that SIPA is able to provide free essential eGovernment services across the state as well as give back to Colorado communities at the price of over $150,000 a year.
I like the idea of being passionate about the work that you do, and better yet, having enthusiasm for the mission your organization serves and I am lucky to be a part of a small nimble authority that is constantly exploring ways to serve Colorado governments so that they can focus more on the people that matter rather than business processes; because at the end of the day I work for Colorado but I also live my life here.
Jamie Desrosier is a GovLoop Featured Contributor. She has spent the past two years in Colorado working as a Marketing and Communications professional within state and local government technology for government authority, Colorado SIPA. Prior to moving to Colorado, she spent 2 years as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia. She spends every day learning as much as she can and is excited to be working on her Master’s of Information Technology Management with a specialization in cybersecurity. You can read her posts here.
Great post, Jamie! What I like most about portals is that it makes things easier for users as well as the organization, especially portals that lets users renew their driver licenses without having to go into the DMV!