Overview
The Office for Information Technology (OA-OIT) sits inside the Governor's Office of Administration and is the Commonwealth's central IT authority — it oversees the investment in and performance of IT across all executive agencies under the Governor's jurisdiction and sets the policies, standards, and security guidelines those agencies follow. OA-OIT runs enterprise shared services (infrastructure, cloud, data, identity), statewide cybersecurity, and the digital-experience portfolio, and it is the most visible state-government AI program in the country following Pennsylvania's OpenAI/ChatGPT Enterprise pilot.
Leadership turned over in late 2025 and was stabilized in early 2026: Bry Pardoe became Commonwealth CIO in October 2025, and in February 2026 Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver made four interim OIT leaders permanent, including a new state CISO.
Note the buying nuance — large agency IT budgets (DHS, PennDOT, etc.) live with those agencies; OA-OIT is the policy, standards, and shared-services center, while most cooperative purchasing flows through the separate Department of General Services (DGS) and its COSTARS program.
- OA-OIT (CIO Bry Pardoe) sets statewide IT policy, standards, and runs enterprise shared services and security for executive agencies under the Governor
- Most cooperative purchasing flows through the separate Department of General Services (DGS) and its COSTARS program, not through OA-OIT itself
- PA Supplier Portal registration is the prerequisite to bid on DGS statewide and COSTARS contracts — confirm Dell's coverage there first
- Large agency IT budgets (DHS, PennDOT, Revenue, etc.) sit with those operating agencies, not OA-OIT — OA is the policy and shared-services center, not every project's wallet
Where Dell Can Play
- Confirm Dell's coverage on DGS statewide and COSTARS IT contracts and current PA Supplier Portal registration — that is the access path to executive agencies and the broader Pennsylvania public sector.
- Anchor the motion to OA-OIT's generative-AI program: position AI-ready infrastructure (compute, storage, networking) and secure endpoints behind the ChatGPT Enterprise rollout.
- Lead cybersecurity offerings — secure infrastructure, endpoint, and zero-trust — into the FY2026-27 multi-year cyber-modernization funding, with CISO Andy Ritter's office.
- Frame deals around measurable cost outcomes (cloud optimization, contract right-sizing) to match OA's $37M-savings, in-housing-minded posture.
- Rebuild the relationship map after the 2025-26 leadership turnover: CIO Bry Pardoe, Exec Deputy CIO Jim Sipe, CTO Greg Fiedler, and CISO Andy Ritter, under Secretary Neil Weaver.
Budget & Fiscal
OA-OIT's leverage is in statewide direction, shared services, and security policy rather than a single large appropriation. Governor Shapiro's FY2026-27 proposed budget is $53.26B in General Fund spending (up ~5.4%), and OA's IT story this cycle is modernization savings plus a multi-year cybersecurity build-out.
- The FY2026-27 proposal directs additional funding to a multi-year OA cybersecurity modernization strategy against ransomware and data-theft threats.
- OA reports ~$37M in technology savings over three years by right-sizing contracts, expanding cloud, and bringing work in-house (CODE PA alone ~$10M) — a cost-discipline frame Dell should expect in deals.
- The largest IT spend sits in operating agencies (DHS, PennDOT, Revenue, etc.); OA-OIT is the policy and shared-services center, not the wallet for every project.
Initiatives & Priorities
After a first-in-the-nation OpenAI pilot (175 employees, 14 agencies) that reported ~95 min/day saved, Pennsylvania expanded ChatGPT Enterprise to 3,000+ employees across 35 agencies in early 2026, with more in training. AI is a top-of-house priority — align infrastructure, data, and endpoint plays to it.
AI ProductivityOA is pursuing a multi-year cyber modernization strategy, reinforced in the FY2026-27 proposal, to harden state systems against ransomware and data theft. A clear lane for secure infrastructure, endpoint, and zero-trust offerings under the new CISO.
Cybersecurity ModernizationOA credits ~$37M in three-year savings to right-sizing IT contracts, expanding cloud, and in-housing work. Expect ROI-driven, consolidation-minded buying — position hybrid cloud and as-a-service against measurable cost outcomes.
Cloud Cost SavingsThe Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience — led since Feb 2026 by Executive Director Sara Hall — marked three years (~$10M saved, five national awards) and in spring 2026 began rolling out four enterprise platforms: a centralized permits/licensing system, a grants one-stop shop, a modernized payment platform, and a single resident login. A direct pull-through for the data, identity, and infrastructure beneath citizen-facing services.
Digital Services ModernizationProcurement
Selling into Pennsylvania state government runs through pre-established contracts, not one-off RFPs per agency. Most cooperative purchasing is administered by the Department of General Services (DGS), not OA — confirm Dell's coverage on the right DGS statewide and COSTARS contracts, and register in the PA Supplier Portal.
| Vehicle / gate | What it means for Dell |
|---|---|
| COSTARS (DGS cooperative) | Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program, run by DGS — local governments, school districts, and state-affiliated entities buy off DGS-established contracts (including IT hardware/software) without their own RFP. Thousands of members registered. |
| DGS statewide contracts | Statewide contracts established by DGS that executive agencies and COSTARS members buy from — the primary path for commodity and enterprise IT acquisition. |
| PA Supplier Portal registration | Prerequisite to bidding on statewide or COSTARS contracts — suppliers register to receive a vendor number before participating. |
Spend Signals
GovSpend · as of Sep 21, 2026Expiring contracts (re-compete)
| Contract | Vendor | Amount | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infoblox allows consolidating multiple solutions into a single system to ease management and simplify Services to customers. 4300796005 186996 - EPlus Technology Inc | Eplus Technology Inc | — | Dec 19, 2026 |
| KONICA COPIER-PO 4500932370-102519-KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS SOLUTIONS | Konica Minolta Business Solutions | $9K | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) ITQ Contract statewide vehicle | Gi Forstater Dba Professional Systems Engineering | — | Sep 30, 2027 |
- Bid and contract panels refreshed 2026-09-21 from GovSpend (agencyId 167221): 0 open bids due on or after 2026-09-21 and 3 contracts ending on or after 2026-10-05 (two-week runway), IT-relevant only. Contracts marked "statewide vehicle" are agreements Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Office of Administration / OA-OIT) holds for use statewide; purchases under them are made by other agencies (often local governments too), so they show where IT buying runs through this account rather than its own spend. No open bids on this record; the Infoblox contract appeared twice (eMarketplace and Treasury e-library), kept once.
Power Structure
| Decision-maker | Why they matter |
|---|---|
| Neil Weaver Secretary of Administration | Cabinet head over OA; oversees enterprise IT, HR, and digital services. The executive sponsor above the CIO. |
| Bry Pardoe Commonwealth Chief Information Officer | Named CIO Oct 2025; owns IT for all executive agencies under the Governor. Came from CODE PA — UX- and AI-forward. The top IT relationship. |
| Jim Sipe Executive Deputy CIO | Made permanent Feb 2026 (prior state CISO since 2023) — day-to-day delivery and operations leader under the CIO. |
| Andy Ritter Chief Information Security Officer | Confirmed permanent state CISO Feb 2026; interim since Oct 2025 and deputy CISO before. Owns statewide security policy and the cyber-modernization buying center. |
| Greg Fiedler Chief Technology Officer | Appointed CTO March 2026 — architecture, infrastructure, and platform direction. |
News & Signals
Sources
- PA OA — Office of Information Technology (About IT)
- PA OA — Leadership
- StateScoop — Pennsylvania promotes four interim IT officials to permanent roles
- StateScoop — Pennsylvania expands generative AI to 3,000 employees
- PA OA — Shapiro 2026-27 Budget Strengthens Cybersecurity
- PA Budget in Brief 2026-27
- PA DGS — COSTARS Cooperative Purchasing
- GovTech — Pennsylvania Names Andy Ritter as Permanent State CISO
- PA OA — StateScoop Ranks CIO Bry Pardoe Among Top 50 State Tech Leaders (June 2026)
- PA OA — Building on Three Years of Success (CODE PA, Apr 2026)
- StateTech — Q&A: Pennsylvania's CISO on Risk Reduction, Zero Trust (Apr 2026)
- Code for America — Government AI Landscape Assessment (2026)
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — Governor Shapiro Signs Bipartisan 2026-27 Budget (July 12, 2026)
- Spotlight PA — Pa. lawmakers eye limits, outright ban on Flock cameras as they prepare for fall return
- SC Media — Pennsylvania budget boosts cybersecurity and digital services funding