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Executive Office of Technology Services asks Ways & Means to endorse chargeback model, digital initiatives and AI safeguards
Summary
Deputy Secretary Erica Bradshaw testified in support of the governor's FY26 TSS appropriation, explained a restructured, revenue‑neutral chargeback model for agency IT services, and described priorities including cybersecurity, digital accessibility, MyMassGov single sign‑on and an AI sandbox for safe agency experimentation.
Erica Bradshaw, deputy secretary at the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (TSS), told the Joint Committee on Ways and Means that the administration’s House 1 budget funds TSS at roughly $62.3 million for FY26 and that the office has restructured its chargeback model to reflect full operating costs of common IT services across executive agencies.
Bradshaw said the “re‑baked” chargeback model prepackages common service components—network, end-user support, licensing and maintenance—into fewer, clearer rates for agencies. She emphasized the new approach is revenue neutral overall (an appropriation offset by chargeback recovery) but acknowledged that in year one some agencies will see higher bills because the allocation metric has changed. She told the committee the office has coordinated the change with A&F and will continue outreach to agencies as the transition proceeds.
TSS outlined priorities funded and underway: expanded vulnerability management through a Commonwealth Security Operations Center, remediation of external critical vulnerabilities, an enterprise digital accessibility program that now provides testing and guidance to agencies, and MyMassGov single sign‑on (nearly 2 million users) to streamline resident access to services. Bradshaw also described an AI sandbox and partnerships with higher education and the Massachusetts High Performance Computing Center to give agencies and academic partners secure compute access and to experiment with generative AI without exposing Commonwealth data.
Bradshaw asked the committee to support the administration’s FY26 appropriation for TSS and noted that IT operating costs—particularly recurring maintenance, license and contract costs—have grown faster than inflation. She framed TSS investment as a stewardship measure: “When you fully fund TSS, you are investing in state government’s capacity to deliver all services consistently, securely, and efficiently.”
Committee members asked for further detail on chargeback allocation methods and whether changes could create transitional budget stress for agencies; Bradshaw said staff will provide additional explanations and continued technical support to affected offices.
