18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
title: "Modular procurement resources for state and local government"
date: 2016-11-15
authors:
- mheadd
- robin-carnahan
tags:
- state and local practice
- modular contracting
- agile
- acquisition services
- procurement
- health and human services
excerpt: "Our recent work with state government agencies in California and Mississippi provides some powerful examples of how 18F’s commitment to working and learning in the open can provide enormous benefits — even to states that are not yet working directly with 18F."
---
At 18F, we build things in the open.

For our partners and the agencies we work with, this commitment to doing
things openly helps foster better communication, enhances transparency
and — most importantly — produces a better end product. Our work with
partner agencies helps us surface [lessons
learned](https://18f.gsa.gov/2016/07/07/when-a-micropurchase-doesnt-work-out-we-try-to-learn-from-it/),
and allows us to create new resources that any government agency can
easily re-use at no cost.

Our recent work with state government agencies in
[California](https://18f.gsa.gov/2016/03/22/helping-california-buy-a-new-child-welfare-system/)
and
[Mississippi](https://18f.gsa.gov/2016/09/20/mississippi-agile-modular-techniques-child-welfare-system/)
provides some powerful examples of how 18F’s commitment to working and
learning in the open can provide enormous benefits — even to states that
are not yet working directly with 18F.

18F has recently worked with both of these states to overhaul
mission-critical legacy systems using new modular contracting
techniques, human-centered design, and agile approaches to software
development. California and Mississippi are deliberately breaking with
past practice in replacing these systems, which typically involved
monolithic contracts awarded to a single vendor using outdated
development methodologies. As a result, these states are charting a new
path for others to follow to more efficiently deliver systems that not
only are built around user needs, but also deliver value to the state in
months rather than years.

Our work with states has also shown us the important role that the
federal grantmaking process can have as both a catalyst for, and a
barrier to, the adoption of new procurement practices at the state and
local level. For example, the federally-required Advanced Planning
Document (APD) process, through which states acquire approval for
federal financial participation in the upgrade of technology systems,
doesn’t always align well with these modern approaches to state and
local technology procurement. 18F is working with some of those federal
grantmaking agencies to identify ways their APD process can be updated
to better reflect and encourage the use of agile design and modular
procurement approaches by state and local governments.

As a byproduct of our work with states, we’ve compiled a number of
resources that encapsulate these new approaches to procurement, and
highlight the things we’ve learned.

We’ve [created a guidebook](https://modularcontracting.18f.gov/) that
state and local governments can use to learn more about agile software
development, open source software, and new modular contracting
approaches. This guide is full of practical information that can
demystify these concepts and help you get started putting them into
practice. It includes a list of [commonly asked
questions](https://modularcontracting.18f.gov/faq/) that was
informed by our work with states; if you have questions on any of these
new concepts, chances are other state and local governments have raised
them as well.

We’ve also pulled together a list of resources to assist governments in
[adopting a modular approach to technology
contracts](https://modularcontracting.18f.gov/). This list will help
you understand what modular contracting is, and how it can be
implemented in your organization. Some of the resources listed here were
created by 18F, but others were created in direct collaboration with our
partners who are using modular contracting right now. You can even add
your own resources to this list ([via
GitHub](https://github.com/18F/Modular-Contracting-And-Agile-Development))
when you begin using modular contracting techniques and want to share
your experience with others.

These are not meant to be a definitive list of question or topics, but
instead are living documents that will continue to change and expand as
we and our state partners learn more about the trade-offs and benefits
of modern development and procurement approaches. We plan to continue
expanding this collection to ensure it remains a valuable resource for
our partners — be sure to check back on these resources often.

Like all of the resources we create, these examples are made available
openly on GitHub ([modular contracting
documents](https://github.com/18F/Modular-Contracting-And-Agile-Development))
where anyone can contribute improvements or suggest ideas. If you work
in a state or local government and want to find out more about agile
practices or modular contracting, these guides are a great place to
start. If you’re working on a new software project and want to connect
with 18F about getting involved, [let us
know](mailto:inquiries18f@gsa.gov).

If you work for a federal grantmaking agency and want to examine how
your APD process can encourage these new practices at the state and
local level, stay tuned for a future blog post covering this issue in
more detail.