When Texas public-sector agencies procure IT services, the stakes are high.
Technology decisions affect compliance, operations, and how employees work every day. Procurement teams must move quickly while navigating strict state requirements, and they need partners they can trust to get it right.
That’s why many agencies rely on the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Deliverables-Based IT Services (DBITS) cooperative contracts program.
These contracts provide agencies with access to a vetted pool of qualified vendors, or a “list of trust” who have been evaluated and approved by DIR to deliver specialized IT services.
At Access Sciences, we are proud to be part of this trusted list of IT services experts.
For more than 40 years, we have partnered with state and local agencies to solve complex information and technology challenges, combining strategy, governance, and implementation to deliver solutions that work for the people who rely on them.
In addition to meeting DIR’s rigorous qualification standards, Access Sciences brings deep expertise across information governance, records management, and enterprise technology environments. Our teams hold industry-recognized certifications and bring experience across content management, data and analytics, automation, and information management platforms — allowing us to support agencies with both strategic guidance and practical implementation.
We also actively participate in leading industry organizations and professional communities, ensuring our approach reflects current standards, emerging trends, and the evolving needs of public-sector organizations.
We approach every engagement as a consultative partnership, working alongside agency teams to deliver technology solutions to support their people, processes, and long-term governance needs.
What the DBITS Cooperative Contracts Program Provides
The DIR DBITS cooperative contracts program gives Texas public-sector agencies a faster, compliant path to procuring IT services, streamlining traditionally lengthy procurement processes while maintaining rigorous vendor vetting.
Vendors admitted to the DBITS program must demonstrate:
- Proven project experience
- Strong client references
- Technical expertise within defined service categories
Once approved, agencies can procure services through the cooperative contract without issuing a new RFP, significantly reducing procurement timelines while maintaining compliance.
DBITS Service Categories
The DBITS contract includes four primary service categories:
- Application Development, Maintenance, Support, Migration, and Transformation (including ERP)
- Supporting modernization initiatives, new applications, and system upgrades
- Supporting modernization initiatives, new applications, and system upgrades
- Business Intelligence, Data Management, Analytics, and Automation
- Helping agencies organize and leverage data for better decision-making
- Helping agencies organize and leverage data for better decision-making
- IT Assessments, Planning, IV&V, Procurement Advisory, and Contract Implementation
- Providing independent expertise to guide technology decisions and reduce risk.
- Providing independent expertise to guide technology decisions and reduce risk.
- Project and Program Management
- Providing structured leadership and oversight for complex IT initiatives.
These cooperative contracts are especially valuable when agencies are developing new applications, upgrading legacy systems, or seeking independent validation and strategic guidance for major IT investments.
DBITS in Action: Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS)
A recent engagement with the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) illustrates how Access Sciences’ consultative approach helps agencies strengthen governance and make informed technology decisions.
The Objective
ERS leadership sought to elevate the maturity of its Records and Information Management (RIM) program and better understand how its technology environment supported governance and compliance.
The agency needed a comprehensive understanding of its electronic records environment, including how information was managed across file shares, SharePoint, and existing processes.
Leadership also wanted to understand how SharePoint could support short-term records management needs and what additional capabilities might be required over time.
Our Approach
Access Sciences partnered closely with ERS stakeholders to understand how information was managed across systems, teams, and processes.
Working collaboratively with ERS staff, the team conducted:
- Detailed analysis of file shares and SharePoint usage
- Structured data-gathering workshops with stakeholders
- Governance and policy reviews
- Benchmarking against recognized industry standards
This process helped identify key risks, gaps, and inconsistencies in how records were managed across systems and processes.
Our Access Sciences team brought a multidisciplinary perspective to the engagement, with expertise spanning information governance, records management, and enterprise technology environments.
The team’s experience with recognized industry standards, including ISO 15489, ISO 27001, and the ARMA Information Governance Maturity Model, informed the assessment approach.
This was complemented by deep technical knowledge of Microsoft 365 environments and senior-level implementation expertise, allowing both governance and technical considerations to be fully evaluated.
The Outcome
The engagement produced a comprehensive report that provided ERS leadership with a clear roadmap for strengthening its information governance program.
The report outlined practical, phased recommendations, including:
Establishing a formal agency-wide information governance framework
Empowering the Information Governance Steering Committee
Remediating high-risk file share environments
Preparing content for migration into a governed records repository
Implementing workflow-enabled electronic forms to improve record capture
It also included an evaluation of SharePoint’s role as a records repository, identifying that it could support certain short-term needs, while longer-term requirements may necessitate additional capabilities or a more robust solution. The team also recommended a broader “reset” initiative to improve governance, usability, and adoption across the platform.
The findings helped ERS leadership prioritize projects, plan budgets, and make informed decisions about future technology investments.
ERS Records Management Officer Andrew Glass noted:
“It’s been super valuable just to have that baseline assessment…It’s an outside entity using objective metrics showing where we need to improve.”
A Trusted Partner in the DBITS Vendor Community
Access Sciences serves Texas agencies through the DIR DBITS cooperative contract DIR-CPO-5883.
If your organization is planning a technology initiative, from governance assessments to system modernization, we can help.