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. |
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)