State pauses "Movers" ERP hybrid testing; OA requests 10 long‑term support posts

The Office of Administration told the House Budget Committee it has paused hybrid testing for phase 2 of the statewide enterprise resource planning project known as Movers to review recommendations from Guidehouse’s independent validation and verification.

“Right before Christmas, we announced a pause on our hybrid testing,” Paula Peters, deputy chief information officer overseeing Movers, said. Peters said the pause is limited to hybrid testing, not a halt to the overall project, and that Guidehouse and a newly appointed program executive have been reviewing recommendations on testing, communications, ticket handling and functionality.

Peters said phase 1 (budget) has improved and that agencies have been engaged in testing phase 2 in a production‑like environment; she said phase 3 (human capital management) is in data‑conversion and initial testing preparation. On staffing, Peters told the committee the governor’s recommendation of 10 long‑term FTE for maintenance, help desk and ongoing updates is sufficient for the coming year but that the program may request additional positions in future years as go‑live approaches and post‑go‑live support demands grow.

Committee members pressed for a clearer multi‑year staffing and cost estimate. Peters said the team will likely need additional support for several years after go‑live and that the original July go‑live timeline for a system of record is unlikely to be met while OA gathers Guidehouse recommendations and works with agencies to finalize timing.

The committee discussed an education hearing and suggested a subcommittee session to walk legislators through Movers’ current status and anticipated timeline.