Position: Project Manager
Contract Term: 2.5 years with extension
Work Mode: Remote work
Client: California State Agency
Job ID: RFP 2026-001
Mandatory Minimum qualifications and Desirable Qualifications
Project Manager
- Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Project Management or Computer Science.
- If the degree is not in English, it must be accompanied by an evaluation performed by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).
- One (1) to three (3) years of experience as the Project Manager implementing or maintaining a Cannabis Licensing and Compliance system.
- Four (4) years of experience as a Project Manager on a large scale complex IT project for a government agency (City, State, County or Federal), managing the end-to-end design, development and implementation (DDI) of software solutions.
- Two (2) years managing cross-functional project teams, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, budgets, and timelines.
- Two (2) years developing, updating, and executing project management plans, and must have experience in managing all the following: scope, schedule, resource allocation, risk, and stakeholder communication.
- Two (2) years applying standard project management methodologies and Agile, Scrum, or hybrid approaches using modern project management tools.
- Project Management Institution (PMI) - Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Scope of work
The CA Department seeks to consolidate the two instances of their current cannabis licensing software into one solution. These two systems are not integrated to communicate and share real-time data, nor have functionality to streamline current workflows such as document management, validating inputs, case management and the communication needed which could benefit the Department, and external stakeholders. Having the CLEaR and CLS solutions maintained on two separate systems has presented operational challenges.
Currently, the Department must utilize two separate cannabis licensing systems. Having two separate systems does not allow for efficiency in current operations, as duplicate efforts must occur. A centralized database would better track and regulate licensing, compliance, and lab activities. Enhanced data collection will drive improved reporting, policy development and business process decisions. A centralized system would also provide more streamlined services to cannabis consumers who submit complaints, as their information would be tracked in a unified manner. Additionally, system changes required by legislative and regulatory mandates could be delivered more quickly, ensuring timelier compliance.
A centralized database would improve the Department's cannabis oversight by increasing operational efficiency, enhancing data-driven decision-making, streamlining customer service, and accelerating regulatory compliance.
Description of Proposed New System
This Statement of Work (SOW) reflects the services the System Integrator, hereafter referred to as the Contractor, must provide to the Department during the term of the Contract.
The Contractor must have extensive and demonstrated technical knowledge and experience as identified in this SOW as well as practical project experience.
The State anticipates that Project completion will be achieved through the progressive decommissioning and replacement of two existing legacy systems, with each phase addressing one legacy system independently.
Phase 1 shall include the configuration, development, and implementation of the proposed SaaS solution for one designated legacy system (CLEAR or CLS), including all required data conversion and migration activities necessary to support a production launch and go-live for that system. Upon successful completion of Phase 1, the solution shall be operational and in use by internal and external users. Deployment of Phase 1 shall not relieve the Contractor of its obligation to continue delivery of Phase 2 functionality.
Phase 2 shall include the configuration, development, and implementation of the proposed solution for the remaining legacy system, including all required data conversion and migration activities, resulting in full Project completion and replacement of both legacy systems.
Each phase shall include, at a minimum, planning, design, development, configuration, data migration, testing, and deployment, performed iteratively and incrementally in accordance with agile Scrum practices and the approved Contractor Tasks and Deliverables.
