State agencies may test cost-saving technologies through a portal

The Governor may direct the administrative services commissioner to create and run an online portal for state technology pilot programs. The portal would cover technologies, products, or processes proposed for temporary testing by state agencies to determine whether they could lower operating costs. The portal must be operated within available funding and with Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated. The portal would be posted on the Department of Administrative Services website. The administrative services commissioner must find that a proposed technology could lower costs, is practical for a state agency, and would not harm its operations before recommending a pilot. The provision takes effect October 1, 2026. The Governor may direct the portal's establishment by January 1, 2027.

Applicants must submit a portal application with an independent market or research assessment, and selected applicants must pay the pilot's costs. The rules cover businesses seeking to test technologies, products, or processes in one state agency, including businesses certified as small contractors or minority business enterprises. A business must show that its technology will not harm safety and is commercially available or could be commercialized within two years after testing. The business must document patents and related intellectual property and must not have developed the technology under the separate pilot program named in the act. An application must assess the pilot's potential viability through a qualified independent research or market firm. A selected applicant may take part in only one pilot with one state agency, and the applicant must pay acquisition and use costs. The administrative services commissioner must evaluate an application within 90 days after receiving it. Each pilot must last at least 30 days and no more than 60 days.

A state agency may temporarily test a recommended technology, and after a successful test its commissioner may ask the administrative services commissioner to buy it for state use. The process covers state agencies testing technologies, products, or processes that appear to reduce operating costs, including technologies previously tested successfully by a municipality. A state agency may accept delivery and test a recommended technology without treating the acquisition as a purchase under state procurement law. The agency commissioner sets the test length within the 30-to-60-day limit. The administrative services commissioner may approve later procurement under the cited procurement statute and must post information about an approved procurement for state agencies. Proprietary information from a pilot is exempt from the cited public-records requirement, and applicants must keep records required by the administrative services commissioner. The administrative services commissioner must evaluate a municipal-test referral within 30 days. The administrative services commissioner must report pilot evaluation findings to the relevant legislative committee by October 1, 2030.