Introducing Tech for Gov: CivStart's Newsletter

Subscribe to Tech for Gov here.

CivStart is proud to launch our first Tech for Gov newsletter. Help us spread the word by forwarding to friends and colleagues across the govtech community.

TRAILBLAZERS Qwally partnership boosts entrepreneurship in the City of Wichita, KS and the City of Manor, TX Announcing Collective Liberty’s HT Fusion Center. The HT fusion center enables law enforcement across the country to use subject matter expertise and AI technology to proactively identify previously unknown networks of human trafficking (HT). CitizenLab launched a resident engagement platform with the Borough of Carlisle, PA. CitizenLab also announced their move to an OpenCore model. CityGrows is helping county clerks manage document request and business licensing workflows across California.

GOVTECH TRENDS We are sure you’ve heard about the Biden Stimulus Plan - States and localities are expected to receive $350 billion in relief funding. CivStart will be hosting a webinar and working with our startups on the opportunities this creates for govtech.

On March 9th West Virginia introduced a bill in the Senate that would impose a tax on digital advertising services. This applies to any type of software a user is able to access where advertising is taking place.

LET'S CHAT In today’s conversation we are focusing on a partnership in the public procurement space between GovLia and ProcureNow. ShaKeia Kegler, CEO & Cofounder of GovLia and Thao Hill, Chief Customer Officer of ProcureNow share their thoughts with CivStart CEO, Anthony Jamison on this partnership. AJ: What is this partnership between GovLia and ProcureNow? SK: Our companies came together to build an integration that would connect bids issued by ProcureNow-powered local governments with GovLia's diverse network of certified minority-owned, woman-owned, and veteran-owned small companies across the nation. AJ: Why was it important for you to enter into this endeavor together? TH: For ProcureNow, our public procurement customers look to us to partner with them to make sure their RFPs and bids built with ProcureNow reach the broadest and most diverse and inclusive audiences possible. Two responsible govtech startups are bringing governments and businesses together by sharing their networks while not taking advantage of suppliers by monetizing bid notifications (Which is inherently anti-inclusive and not equitable). There's an industry built around charging vendors for premium access to bid notifications, giving the advantage to companies with the most money to spend. We hope this endeavor becomes the example for the future of democratizing government bid notifications, which inherently creates more equity for historically underutilized businesses. This groundbreaking integration is unique because it shows that when you democratize bid notifications, and keep the monetary barrier of entry at zero, bid networks can help boost each other! AJ: Why did GovLia shift from supplier diversity management to diversity engagement? SK: There are solutions in the marketplace that are designed to manage supplier diversity, essentially this is simply storing data, and agencies are still not meeting their supplier diversity goals. After research and interviewing businesses in the space and businesses interested in getting into government contracting, we identified that the issue is not the management of the suppliers, it's the agency's ability to engage with the supplier, this is where the disconnect happens. Our latest updates focus on a range of process streamlining tools and supplier engagement features designed to fill the information gap that often exists between governments and diverse business owners. It also allows us to integrate with existing government solutions to provide a simpler centralized supplier interface. Through this system, suppliers can create one profile, one time, to register, certify and engage with multiple governments, anchors, prime contractors, and other businesses for opportunities AJ: Are there governments you are currently working with together? TH: Our beta testing customers include:

• The City of Norfolk, Virginia

• Sacramento Area Council of Governments

• The City of Lynnwood, Washington

• The City of Edgewater, Florida

• The City of Sierra Vista, Arizona

• The City of Banning, CA

• The Town of New Milford, CT

• The City of Monterey, CA

• Omnitrans, CA

Once the testing phase is complete, any ProcureNow government agency will be able to turn this integration and added outreach capability on easily! AJ: Why is it important to have a supplier diversity engagement solution working alongside end-to-end intuitive procurement solutions? TH: ProcureNow's mission is to help governments solve their top procurement challenges with modern, intuitive software and services. Whether it be through real-time collaboration and workflow tools to help them build RFPs and bids that are easier for suppliers to understand, or by extending these opportunities to small entrepreneurial disadvantaged businesses - we're always looking for ways to add value for our customers. Also, as two small disadvantaged businesses who have been given these incredible opportunities ourselves, this is our way of paying it forward to other small startups like us, looking for the opportunity to become thriving, responsible businesses who deliver innovative, high quality results for communities everywhere. AJ: What should governments expect in the coming months? TH: Simple. More government bid opportunities in the hands of a more diverse and inclusive supplier network! The result? More successful delivery of innovative solutions for governments everywhere!

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

• Product Manager — Exygy is seeking someone to be 60% project manager & 40% product manager.

• Rails Developer — CityGrows is seeking a full-stack rails developer

Subscribe to Tech for Gov here.