The board shall have the following powers and duties related to information services:
(1) To review and approve standards and policies, developed by the agency, governing the acquisition and disposition of equipment, proprietary software, and purchased services, licensing of the radio spectrum by or on behalf of state agencies, and confidentiality of computerized data;
(2) To review and approve statewide or interagency technical policies and standards developed by the agency;
(3) To review, approve, and provide oversight of major information technology projects to ensure that no major information technology project proposed by a state agency is approved or authorized funding by the board without consideration of the technical and financial business case for the project, including a review of:
(a) The total cost of ownership across the life of the project;
(b) All major technical options and alternatives analyzed, and reviewed, if necessary, by independent technical sources; and
(c) Whether the project is technically and financially justifiable when compared against the state's enterprise-based strategy, long-term technology trends, and existing or potential partnerships with private providers or vendors;
(4) To review and approve standards and common specifications for new or expanded telecommunications networks proposed by state agencies, public postsecondary education institutions, educational service districts, or statewide or regional providers of K-12 information technology services, and to assure the cost-effective development and incremental implementation of a statewide video telecommunications system to serve: Public schools; educational service districts; vocational-technical institutes; community colleges; colleges and universities; state and local government; and the general public through public affairs programming;
(5) To develop a policy to determine whether a proposed project, product, or service should undergo an independent technical and financial analysis prior to submitting a request to the office of financial management for the inclusion in any proposed operating, capital, or transportation budget;
(6) To approve contracting for services and activities under RCW
41.06.142(11) for the agency. To approve any service or activity to be contracted under RCW
41.06.142(11)(b), the board must also review the proposed business plan and recommendation submitted by the agency;
(7) To consider, on an ongoing basis, ways to promote strategic investments in enterprise-level information technology projects that will result in service improvements and cost efficiency;
(8) To provide a forum to solicit external expertise and perspective on developments in information technology, enterprise architecture, standards, and policy development; and
(9) To provide a forum where ideas and issues related to information technology plans, policies, and standards can be reviewed.
