A February 2025 research report from NASCIO focuses on ways to improve the procurement process at state agencies. NASCIO includes major findings of their research, such as vendors wading through time consuming “poorly and inconsistently structured” solicitations to determine if the RFP aligns with their focus. The report revealed that interviewees look for clear problems and scopes of work. NASCIO offered two recommendations for government agencies in their report, Improving RFPs with User Research” How “Summary Sheets” Can Improve Solicitations; these included: “attach a summary sheet to your solicitations for software” and “treat the table of contents as a summary of the solicitation.”
North Dakota ranks number 18 overall for all states and Puerto Rico in the 2024 State Occupational Licensing Index from the Archbridge Institute and the Knee Regulatory Research Center; the score places the state eighteenth among states for the highest occupational licensing burden. Besides the overall ranking, the report also features a state profile ranking that puts states in one of five quintiles. North Dakota ranks two in the quintile system, with one the “most occupational licensing” and five the “least occupational licensing.” The quintile system reviews several factors, including barriers and licenses, along with universal recognition reforms. The licensing index, released in August, contains information on 284 occupations.
Other overall rankings include New Hampshire at number 17.
See a listing of all state rankings in the latest edition of the State Occupational Licensing Index.
In the article, It’s Time to Consolidate Cybersecurity Regulations, author Dan Lohrman makes the case for the harmonization and consolidation of cybersecurity standards. He explains how this looks, pointing to StateRAMP and FedRAMP already spearheading harmonization efforts in state governments and federal agencies. He suggests actions at the federal level to establish a unified cybersecurity standard.
Licensing boards consolidation bill advances amid pushback from private investigators
A bill to consolidate the management of 19 of Alabama’s occupational licensing boards advanced Tuesday in a Senate committee, with pushback from the Alabama Private Investigations Board.
Handling of child care revisions ‘alienates’ providers, one owner says
Members of the Child Care Advisory Council, who raised issues earlier about proposed regulations, voice concerns after the state Department of Health shared revisions.
A team of 10 legislators introduced a package of bills to bring New Mexico into the interstate compacts for nine interstate compacts, such as physicians, physician assistants, psychologists and counselors.
How to get better answers from generative AI with Indiana’s Bryan Zaczek
The hosts of the NASCIO Voices podcast talk with Bryan Zaczek, a data scientist with the state of Indiana’s Management Performance Hub. In the February 25 episode, How to Get Better Answers from Generative AI with Indiana’s Bryan Zaczek, Bryan shares the “art of prompt engineering” to get better answers from generative AI tools.
