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Secretary of State to replace campaign finance systems with third-party platform; FY27 run cost shown
Summary
The board approved a software-as-a-service contract to replace three aging, in-house campaign finance systems. The vendor proposal includes dashboards and a four-year service plan; the projected FY27 run cost is about $238,000, with multi-year licensing and maintenance.
The State Controlling Board approved a contract to overhaul Ohio's campaign finance reporting systems and move to a vendor-hosted platform.
Leslie Piatt said the state currently has three homegrown systems that are difficult to maintain and that the procurement response scored WSD Digital and other vendors on criteria including how they would present data to consumers. "There will be dashboards," Piatt said, noting the new portal will be more visually accessible and easier to search than the current system.
Piatt told members the procurement is structured as software as a service and includes licensing and maintenance for multiple years; she said the roughly $238,000 figure reflects the run cost included for FY27 and that the vendor proposed a four-year plan for implementation and ongoing support.
Representative Sweeney asked whether continuing maintenance might be moved in-house after initial implementation; Piatt said the current proposal is a licensed service but she would have her team explore whether any future work could be brought inside the Secretary of State's office.
The board approved the item; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
What happens next: The Secretary of State's office will proceed with contract implementation and return to the legislature if future budget adjustments are required.
