Colorado established the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) on July 1, 2022. It was designed to centralize mental health and substance use services, and address the longstanding “administrative burden” plaguing providers. By implementing digital-era technology and data systems, providers could reallocate time from manually reporting of data back toward client care.
In 2022, new legislation established Colorado's Universal Preschool Program (UPK) to provide up to 30 hours of free preschool. The newly formed Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) had to launch this statewide program by the 2023-2024 school year, presenting significant technical and logistical hurdles.
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in 2020, Colorado, like many states, sought every possible solution to combat the virus' spread. Traditional public health measures such as testing, contact tracing, and social distancing were already in place, but the rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic demanded innovative approaches.
Faced with the urgent need for a contact tracing system during the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado needed to rapidly procure an effective solution. Traditional government procurement processes are often lengthy and paper-heavy, potentially delaying critical public health responses. The Colorado Digital Service (CDS) needed to find a way to prioritize real-world functionality and speed without sacrificing quality or due diligence.
In 2023, the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration (DPA) embarked on modernizing the state's 40-year-old payroll system. This legacy system was outdated, inefficient, and potentially prone to errors. The challenge was not just to update the technology, but to do so in a way that would improve efficiency, reduce errors, and ultimately allow state employees to focus more on their core responsibilities rather than administrative tasks.
