VITA training expands IT procurement knowledge across the state
Staff at state agencies across the Commonwealth are now more knowledgeable about Virginia IT Agency (VITA)’s centralized IT procurement and governance responsibilities thanks to a recent VITA event.
VITA’s supply chain management (SCM) team took attendees around the world of IT sourcing, contracting, governance and risk management during a comprehensive three-day training in early March. Statewide and enterprise sourcing specialists, supply chain risk consultants, cloud sourcing consultants and IT category managers took center stage for sessions that spoke in depth about the many disciplines within centralized IT supply chain management and governance in Virginia.
More than 100 procurement professionals from 29 different agencies attended these sessions, both virtually and in-person, over the three-day period. The March event reflected more in-depth material and enhanced sessions based on customer feedback collected during the 2025 offerings.
Training background
VITA has two directorates that represent the supply chain management program: statewide sourcing and category management, and enterprise sourcing and risk management. To kick off the March training, SCM directors gave attendees a snapshot of VITA’s portfolio of IT contracts by explaining how VITA manages and executes this program. They provided the audience with some insights into the evolution of SCM over the past few years, and shared a little bit about future plans and engagement opportunities.
Attendees learned about VITA statewide contracts, the technology sourcing process and updates that have recently been made to the cloud sourcing process as well as IT contracting templates and how to use them. This information will allow agency procurement staff to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
Presenters covered the detailed process steps for completing a successful IT procurement, statewide category management overviews, as well as a step-by-step explanation of high-risk contract reviews during these sessions. VITA subject matter experts also answered frequently asked questions, offered tips and best practices, and shared ways to collaborate with VITA to have concerns addressed, upholding VITA’s customer support value.
After the training series, attendees shared overwhelmingly positive feedback. The three-day professional development event received a 100% satisfaction rating, confirming the information enhanced their understanding of IT procurement.
Future learning opportunities
Interested in learning more or participating in future training? VITA’s supply chain management team offers in-person and virtual training throughout the year to help agencies become more knowledgeable and confident about navigating the procurement process.
Be on the lookout for a newsletter covering SCM topics and visit our webpage to learn more about VITA trainings, resources and other engagement opportunities.