ACCESS HAWAI‘I COMMITTEE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES
ANNUAL REPORT ON
THE OPERATION OF THE INTERNET PORTAL
FOR THE PERIOD
JULY 1, 2025 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2026
SUBMITTED TO
THE THIRTY FOURTH STATE LEGISLATURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 27G-5, HAWAI‘I REVISED STATUTES
ACCESS HAWAI‘I COMMITTEE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT ON THE OPERATION OF THE INTERET PORTAL FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 2025 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2026
Introduction
Pursuant to section 27G-5, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS), the Access Hawai‘i Committee (AHC) submits its annual report to the 2027 Legislature. This year’s annual report contains a report by the portal manager/vendor, Hawaii Information Consortium, LLC dba Tyler Hawaii, reflecting work the vendor was authorized to perform by the AHC in conjunction with various State and County agencies.
Overview:
Chapter 27G, HRS, sets forth the duties of the AHC which include the following oversight functions of the State Internet Portal Program:
- Review of the annual strategic plan and periodic reports on potential new applications and services submitted by the portal manager.
- Review and approval of all charges to portal users.
- Review and approval of service level agreements negotiated by government agencies with the portal manager.
- Review of the annual financial reports and audit of the portal manager.
- Review of the annual customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the portal manager.
- Review of performance measures of the portal submitted as part of the service management plan for portal-wide indicators and application specific indicators.
The AHC was created by Act 292, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2000 to exercise oversight of the portal manager. Initially, the AHC operated as an informal committee. Pursuant to Act 110, SLH 2003 (SB1334, HD1), Act 110 removed the sunset date scheduled on July 1, 2005. Due to the value of the oversight function, the Legislature enacted Act 172 SLH 2007 on June 13, 2007. Act 172 re-enacted the original law of Act 292, SLH 2000 that established the AHC.
Act 101, SLH (2010) amended Chapter 27G, HRS, and created the AHC Special Fund within the Information and Communication Services Division (ICSD) of the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) to support the AHC.
In 2011, Act 164 (SLH 2011) created the Portal Program Manager position during the 2011 legislative session to assist the AHC with the legislative mandated oversight of the internet portal provider. The Portal Program Manager provides guidance to the AHC relating to strategies for online payment and processing, electronic document filing, internet initiatives, paperless initiatives, and web application development. The Portal Program Manager also monitors portal provider activities to ensure compliance with terms and conditions of the portal provider contract, reviews the portal provider’s financial reports, evaluates new and existing Statements of Work, fee agreements, priorities, and Service Level Agreements being negotiated between government agencies and the portal provider. The Portal Program Manager collaborates with the portal provider and government agencies to promote e- government and to increase on-line services that can be easily, conveniently, and securely accessed by the public.
In 2014, the Chief Information Officer of the State was added to the AHC membership and was designated as the chairperson of the committee. The Legislature passed SB100 SD1, which was enacted as Act 21 on April 19, 2014.
New online government services are continuously being added through the portal program. State and County agencies along with their employees working with Tyler Hawaii have identified new online services and work hand-in-hand with Tyler Hawaii throughout the planning, implementation, and operational phases for these services. As a result, government has become more accessible to the public and offers greater convenience. Citizens can conduct business with the government online from their homes, offices, and mobile devices during the State’s business and non- business hours.
The portal program’s success has been achieved through the work of Tyler Hawaii in conjunction with the AHC, the Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS), and the business and information technology teams of the State agencies, the Counties, and the Judiciary.
The portal program contract was awarded through competitive solicitation and became effective in January 2008 for an initial five-year period. Seven contract extensions have been approved by the AHC. The effective dates were January 4, 2013 for up to three years, January 4, 2016 for up to three years, January 4, 2019 for one year, January 4, 2020 for up to two years, January 4, 2022 for up to three years, January 4, 2025 for up to two years, and January 4, 2027 for additional one year.
FY 2026 Activities
The following sections provide key issues and activities addressed by the AHC from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Internet Portal Manager Contract Extension
On October 2, 2025, AHC agreed to support the procuring agency, SPO and ETS CIO (Contract Administrator), by extending the contract for additional one (1) year while the ETS team continued developing its public digital services strategy. The contract, originally scheduled to expire on January 3, 2027 was extended until January 3, 2028.
On April 2, 2026, AHC approved the Portal Program Manager’s attendance at the Tyler Connect State Innovation Track. The participation supported the portal program as ETS continued its work on the portal contract and provided an opportunity to discuss shared needs and challenges with the representatives from other states and organizations.
New Web Content Accessibility Requirement for Internet Portal Contract Services
Pursuant to Act 172, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, the Office of Enterprise Technology Services published the Hawaii Electronic Information Technology Disability Access Standards, which mandate that all electronic information technology developed, purchased, used, or provided by state entities must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice also issued a final rule requiring state and local governments to ensure that all web content and mobile applications comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. WCAG 2.1 Level AA is an internationally recognized set of guidelines for making digital content accessible for people with disabilities.
On October 2, 2025, Tyler Hawaii, the State’s Internet Portal Provider, provided an overview of the framework designed to meet the new accessibility requirements for portal services. The overview included a proposed roadmap plan, which Tyler Hawaii subsequently presented at the December 4, 2025 AHC meeting. The roadmap outlined group priorities based on complexity and functionality of services, departments and agencies. It also described the remediation plan covering application review, accessibility assessment, implementation efforts, timelines, and the overview of accessibility issues.
On January 20, 2026, the AHC received an update on completed sites along with summaries of group 1 and group 2 services, including high, medium, and low priorities across departments and agencies including their respective timelines. On April 2, 2026, the AHC was informed that 18 of the 162 services had been completed. Assessment and remediation activities continued, and on June 4, 2026, the AHC received a further update confirming that 49 of the162 services had been completed, representing a 30% completion rate. An additional 42 services representing 26% were identified as not requiring remediation because they were scheduled for retirement, would be replaced with accessible solutions, were for internal use only or had limited integration requirements. Collectively, these efforts represent approximately 56% overall completion. This initiative remains on track to meet the April 2027 deadline.
Executed Agreements
A total of eleven (11) Statements of Work (SOWs) were reviewed and signed by the AHC for this fiscal year. Funding for the 11 SOWs was as follows: six (6) were transaction-based, four (4) were fixed rate projects while one (1) was hybrid project. Additionally, one (1) Project Change Requests (PCR) was signed.
Accolades:
The State portal program earned the following awards in FY2026:
- Hawaii Police Department Website Redesign – County of Hawaii, Police Department
- Davey Awards – Silver
- W3 Awards – Gold
- MarCom Awards – Gold
- Government Standard of Excellence
- dotcom Awards – Honorable Mention
- Kauai Department of Water Website Redesign – County of Kauai, Department of Water
- W3 Awards – Silver
- Government Standard of Excellence
2026 Annual Report by Tyler Hawaii
A comprehensive progress report by Tyler Hawaii regarding the activities and expenses of the portal program is provided on the subsequent pages.