The California Department Motor Vehicles (DMV) is in the beginning stages of a tech upgrade, the start of which is a pre-solicitation posted by the California Department of Technology (CDT).

More specifically, the DMV seeks to implement a State-to-State (S2S) Verification Service program so it can ensure that a driver’s license or identification (DL/ID) card applicant possesses only one REAL ID compliant or federal non-compliant DL/ID card nationwide, according to the pre-solicitation posted on Dec. 6 on behalf of the DMV.

Using this S2S program, the DMV also could share state-issued DL/ID information with other participating states and send DL/ID card termination requests to them as well — all processes performed electronically through the S2S program.

Although the CDT posted the pre-solicitation on the DMV’s behalf, the contract itself will be DMV-owned, and contractor-built and -maintained.

Ultimately, this solicitation seeks to provide a better solution “for electronic communications between existing DMV systems and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) State to State System,” said Tiffany Angulo, assistant deputy director of statewide technology procurement at the CDT, during the CDT Vendor Forum on Dec. 8.

Participation in the AAMVA S2S System — which allows participating states “to electronically check with all other participating states to determine if the applicant currently holds a driver license or identification card in another state,” according to its website — is voluntary. As of October of 2021, 34 state DMVs have implemented their own S2S Verification Service program; the most recent DMV to complete its system was New Hampshire on June 14, 2021.

At the California DMV, the project’s administrative and technical requirements, per the pre-solicitation, include “creating a process that allows California DMV technicians to perform an instant query to AAMVA S2S database” so the California DMV can quickly determine whether the applicant holds an out-of-state DL/ID card and, if so, send the other state “a request to terminate the out-of-state DL/ID card by project completion.”

Another requirement is the ability to electronically transfer applicable California license or ID cardholders’ data to the AAMVA S2S database so that, by project completion, participating states may access the data.

In addition, the contractor’s implementation approach must not only have minimal impact to existing DMV operations and customers, but also integrate with DMV legacy systems and align with future DMV efforts, including upcoming AAMVA enhancements and the DMV’s Digital eXperience Platform — a Platform as a Service solution that will optimize workflow-based processes for the department’s legacy occupational licensing applications.

This new S2S system also must build a foundation for future S2S phases, such as driver’s history functionality.

The pre-solicitation closes at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, at which point confidential meetings with potential bidders will be held. The official solicitation release is expected on Jan. 4, 2022, with an anticipated closing date of January 19, 2022.