This year's ATP application has been modified to provide a more user friendly experience to capture additional information needed to facilitate the ATP review process. Below is a list of the major changes:

• Sections have been broken out and reorganized to provide clarity;
• Questions have been added to capture strategic priorities and direction; and
• Questions have been reorganized to better focus on collaboration opportunities and government impact.

For this fiscal year, agencies are no longer required to report any initiative in support of ongoing operations. This is defined as any work effort associated with maintaining day-to-day functionality. Criteria for what should not be included in this year's ATP include:

• Routine/basic software renewals;
• Routine/basic hardware replacements;

Hardware purchases that relate to a project should be included in the associated project and not reported as its own individual project

• Contracts for staff augmentation; and
• Routine/basic training.

This includes any training relating to existing systems, i.e., MS Office courses, etc.

Existing projects that meet any of the above criteria should be marked as “Complete” in this year’s ATP. This information may be gathered in the future through alternative methods.

Any new or existing project that the agency is planning to undertake in the upcoming fiscal year which meets any of the following criteria should be reported in the ATP:

• Produces a unique product, service, or result and has a clear start and end date;
• System upgrades/maintenance over $500,000;
• Required by gubernatorial initiatives or executive orders;
• Legally mandated in that the project is required to satisfy legal or legislative mandates; and
• Has an impact on other government agencies at the Federal, State, or local level.

An ATP should include:

• A managerial-level explanation of how the agency's technology strategy furthers the agency's mission of programmatic goals;
• A review of the status of major technology initiatives currently in development and an assessment of how well those initiatives are meeting their stated goals;
• A detailed proposal for each new initiative which, at a minimum,
  • Identifies the business need being addressed;
  • Evaluates the impact on an agency programs;
  • Describes the alternatives evaluated, the expected benefits and how success will be measured;
  • Assesses risks; and
  • Estimates current and future costs.

Proposal directions should summarize the types of goods and services to be acquired and the planned method of acquisition;

• An overview of expected future initiatives;
• A summary of the distribution of current information technology resources; and
• A detailed inventory of budgetary fund sources, bonding or financing mechanisms (if applicable), and methods of procurement for each project.

One of the goals of the ATP process is to identify areas for collaboration and to investigate the development of "enterprise contracts," which aggregate the purchases of multiple agencies together, thereby leveraging the State's collective buying power. ATPs set the strategic technical direction for agencies in the upcoming fiscal year.

The ATP review is designed to help align technology initiatives and associated purchases with enterprise objectives and obtain technology products and services at the best price. The ATP reviews conducted by ITS, DOB and OGS will result in an annual list of candidates for enterprise-wide procurements designed to increase efficiencies and achieve savings.

In accordance with NYS-P08-001 Plan to Procure , agencies are required to notify ITS when they are procuring technology or technology related services

Most, if not all, initiatives identified in agency ATPs will generate at least one or more Plans to Procure (PTPs), which will provide more concrete information about technical options and implementation details considered by the agency. ATP dialogue should continue throughout the budget cycle and the year and progress into PTP submissions and decisions.

Placing more emphasis on governance and review early on at the ATP Project level, will enable a more cost efficient delivery of government services and procurement practices. As a result, strategic planning can occur on the enterprise level rather than through individual procurements. This facilitates a streamlined Plan to Procure (PTP) review process.

Visit our PTP section for more information on the process.

ITS:

ITS will evaluate plans with respect to the technology approach, policy and planning goals, and identify opportunities for interagency cooperation in collaboration with the Division of Budget and Office of General Services (OGS). 

We will discuss any concerns with agencies and will communicate suggested revisions to the agencies and DOB.

Division of Budget:

As part of the annual development of the State Budget, DOB will review each agency's ATP. This review will focus on the degree to which proposed technology initiatives support the core mission of the agency; the present and future affordability of the initiatives within the context of the agency and overall State budgets; the relative cost of proposed financing mechanisms; the effectiveness of proposed initiatives in reducing or avoiding costs; and the evaluation of plans by ITS.

DOB will communicate feedback or requests for modifications or additional information to the agency, as well as whether funding has been advanced as part of the Budget.