§ 147-33.72C. Project approval standards. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 147‑33.72C.  Projectapproval standards.

(a)        Project Review andApproval. – The State Chief Information Officer shall:

(1)        Review all Stateagency information technology projects that cost or are expected to cost morethan five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000), whether the project isundertaken in a single phase or component or in multiple phases or components.If the State Chief Information Officer determines a project meets the qualityassurance requirements established under this Article, the State ChiefInformation Officer shall approve the project.

(2)        Establish thresholdsfor determining which information technology projects costing or expected tocost five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or less shall be subject toreview and approval under subdivision (a)(1) of this section. When establishingthe thresholds, the State Chief Information Officer shall consider factors suchas project cost, potential project risk, agency size, and projected budget.

(b)        ProjectImplementation. – No State agency shall proceed with an information technologyproject that is subject to review and approval under subsection (a) of thissection until the State CIO approves the project. If a project is not approved,the State CIO shall specify in writing to the agency the grounds for denyingthe approval. The State CIO shall provide this information to the agency withinfive business days of the denial.

(c)        Suspension ofApproval. – The State Chief Information Officer may suspend the approval of anyinformation technology project that does not continue to meet the applicablequality assurance standards. This authority extends to any informationtechnology project that costs more than five hundred thousand dollars($500,000) to implement regardless of whether the project was originallysubject to review and approval under subsection (a) of this section. If theState CIO suspends approval of a project, the State CIO shall specify inwriting to the agency the grounds for suspending the approval. The State CIOshall provide this information to the agency within five business days of thesuspension.

The Office of InformationTechnology Services shall report any suspension immediately to the Office ofthe State Controller and the Office of State Budget and Management. The Officeof State Budget and Management shall not allow any additional expenditure offunds for a project that is no longer approved by the State Chief InformationOfficer.

(d)        General QualityAssurance. – Information technology projects that are not subject to review andapproval under subsection (a) of this section shall meet all other standardsestablished under this Article.

(e)        PerformanceContracting. – All contracts between a State agency and a private party forinformation technology projects shall include provisions for vendor performancereview and accountability. The State CIO may require that these contractprovisions include monetary penalties for projects that are not completedwithin the specified time period or that involve costs in excess of those specifiedin the contract. The State CIO may require contract provisions requiring avendor to provide a performance bond. (2004‑129, s. 2.)