Oregon administrative services agency outlines role, funding model to House committee

The House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans heard an informational overview of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services on Feb. 11, 2025. Malia Masiba, legislative director for the department, told the committee DAS provides centralized administrative functions—including payroll, accounting, procurement, management of much of the state’s building portfolio and the state motor pool—so other agencies can focus on their core missions.

The briefing matters because DAS’s administrative and procurement work affects how efficiently state agencies deliver services and how the public experiences state government. Masiba said the agency operates on a mix of assessments on other agencies and fee-for-service charges, and it also implements enterprise-wide policies—especially for information technology and human resources—that affect all state employees.

Masiba described DAS as both a service provider and an agency that, in specified circumstances, sets enterprise policy. “I serve as the legislative director for Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services,” Masiba said, and she framed DAS’s work as supporting other agencies rather than directing them in all matters. She told the committee the DAS director also serves as the state’s chief operating officer and works closely with the governor’s office on administration-wide priorities.

On funding and procurement, Masiba said DAS uses the state’s purchasing volume to negotiate pre-set vendor pricing available to any state agency. “We have certain agreements with certain vendors where if any agency from the state purchases something, then they have access to that agreed upon price point,” she said. She explained the department’s budget combines assessments that cover policy and oversight functions with fees charged for direct services such as IT and motor-pool usage.

Committee members pressed Masiba on constituent-facing issues. Chair Tran asked whether DAS tracks vacant buildings or surplus state property; Masiba said she did not have that number at hand and offered to provide follow-up information to the committee. Representative Lewis asked whether DAS sets customer-service standards for all agencies; Masiba said there is an enterprise expectation that agencies prioritize customer service, but there is not a single, binding set of protocols that applies to all agencies in every circumstance.

Masiba also told the committee that DAS does not operate an ombudsman program for state agencies but does provide support services to small boards and commissions and maintains a legislative director for enterprise coordination. She offered to help legislators route constituent issues across state agencies: “If you are trying to reach someone to talk about a particular fish passage program, or you wanna know about safe routes to schools, … the DAS legislative director is a good person to start with,” she said.

The committee did not take formal action during the informational hearing. Masiba closed by noting DAS updated its mission, vision and values in 2023 and that the department is emphasizing customer service, accountability and operational excellence as priorities.

The committee closed the informational hearing and moved to public hearings on pending bills.