| Authority/Reference(s) | |
|---|---|
| Revision Date | December 15, 2023 |
Policy
A Major Information Resource Project (MIRP) is an information resource project included in the DFPS biennial operating plan with development costs exceeding $5 million, and:
- Requires one or more years to complete;
- Involves more than one state agency; or,
- Changes the way DFPS performs job functions or the delivery of services to clients.
Any IT project not meeting the above qualifications may still be designated as a MIRP by the Texas Legislature in the General Appropriations Act.
MIRP purchases are subject to standard procurement requirements, such as the Contract Advisory Team (CAT) review as referenced in Procurement Planning. All MIRPs are subject to Department of Information Resources (DIR) Quality Assurance Team (QAT) oversight.
Before proposing to spend appropriated funds on a MIRP DFPS must:
Submit a detailed report that identifies DFPS’ organizational strengths and weaknesses to DIR, QAT, and the Legislative Budget Board.
Before issuing a solicitation for a MIRP DFPS must:
- Prepare and provide a business case with the initial justification for the project to QAT.
- Conduct a statewide impact analysis of the project’s outcome on the state’s information resources infrastructure. If requested by DIR, DFPS must consult with DIR for a technical architectural assessment of the project.
- Comply with QAT’s recommendations on the business case or submit a written explanation to the QAT on any agency differences.
- Complete a project plan.
- Complete an acquisition plan.
- MIRP must be capable of being deployed and run on cloud computing services, see policy: Information Security Requirements for exception requirements.
- Complete Contract Advisory Team (CAT) review and either comply with the CAT recommendations or have submitted a written explanation on why a recommendation is not applicable to the solicitation.
It is best practice of DIR to have a project plan filed with the QAT before a MIRP solicitation is posted in the Electronic State Business Daily.
The DFPS commissioner or designee, Information Resource manager/DFPS chief information officer, project manager, and cybersecurity director must approve all documents as referenced in Texas Government Code §2054.037(a). Documents required in Texas Government Code §2054 subchapter J or related to subchapter J which includes:
- Business Case
- Statewide Impact Analysis
- Technical Architectural Assessment
- Project Plan
- Acquisition Plan
- Monitoring Report
- Contract Amendment and Change Order Approvals
- Post-Implementation Review
For negotiations, if a MIRP has a value of $10 million or more then DFPS must:
- Provide a copy of the draft contract with proposed terms, including all appendices and attachments to the QAT before the start of contractor negotiations (Negotiations may not commence until after the documents are submitted).
- Submit the final negotiated unsigned contract, including all appendices and attachments, for QAT review as required by Texas Government Code §2054.158(b)(4).
- Comply with the QAT’s final recommendation or submit a written explanation to the QAT on why the recommendation is not applicable to the contract.
Other MIRP Requirements
DFPS must develop a project plan for each MIRP and file the plan with DIR and the QAT before spending more than ten percent of the allocated funds for the MIRP.
DFPS will provide any verification and validation report or quality assurance report to QAT, within 10 business days of receipt of a request from QAT.
In the event DFPS cancels a contract for the development of a MIRP, which if amended would have been required to be reported to QAT; and then issues a solicitation for identical or similar goods and or services for development of the same project, the newly developed contract must be submitted to QAT prior to execution.
Accessibility and MIRP
The MIRP must comply with accessibility standards as detailed in Texas Administrative Code §206.50. Accessibility testing must be documented by a knowledgeable DFPS staff member or through third party analysis or testing.