Turn Virginia’s FY2027 AV Budget into a 90-Day Action Plan

The first 90 days of Virginia’s new fiscal year will shape which technology projects move forward and which remain emergency repairs.

Virginia’s 2026–2028 budget portal outlines the new biennial budget. The Governor also confirmed that the budget took effect on July 1 with the new fiscal year.

Agencies and localities now need to decide how to use approved funds, contracts, capital plans, operating budgets, and risk data to address their most serious AV needs. A clear 90-day plan can turn available resources into projects that teams can approve, buy, install, and support.

Days 1–30: Build an Accurate Inventory

Start with a list of spaces that support public services or daily operations, including:

• Meeting rooms
• Council chambers
• Courtrooms
• Training rooms
• Emergency coordination spaces
• Public service counters
• Interview rooms
• Digital signage locations

For each space, record:

• Purpose and users
• Installed equipment
• Equipment age
• Support and warranty status
• Network connections
• Software and license needs
• Known failures
• Accessibility needs
• Responsible owner

Then score the effect of a failure:

• Which service stops when the room fails?
• Does the room serve the public or support critical work?
• Could a failure affect accessibility, public records, safety, or continuity?
• Can staff obtain replacement equipment?
• Does the system use old software, shared accounts, or undocumented network access?
• How often does the room need support?
• How long does recovery take?

Review the inventory with facilities, IT, security, communications, clerks, program leaders, and support staff. Financial records may show what the agency bought, but they may miss damaged cables, old codecs, poor microphone coverage, and staff workarounds.

Days 31–60: Set Standards and Priorities

Group rooms by their purpose. A small staff room, public hearing room, executive briefing room, and emergency coordination center each need a different standard.

Define each room type by the results it must deliver:

• Clear speech
• Proper camera coverage
• Reliable content sharing
• Accessible controls and content
• Simple operation
• Secure connections
• Remote monitoring
• Fast recovery

Organize the work into three groups.

Stabilize

Fix urgent risks related to safety, accessibility, cybersecurity, or service continuity.

Standardize

Replace repeated custom designs with room standards that teams can install and support across locations.

Modernize

Add capabilities such as hybrid public meetings, stronger emergency coordination, or remote room monitoring.

Include every part of the project. A display upgrade may also require electrical work, network changes, new accounts, furniture changes, acoustic treatment, or construction.

A public meeting upgrade may need captioning procedures, archive connections, staff training, and accessibility testing. Listing these needs early produces a more accurate cost and schedule.

Days 61–90: Prepare for Procurement and Delivery

Before issuing a purchase request or solicitation, define:

• Acceptance tests
• Site conditions
• Required documents
• Training
• Cybersecurity duties
• Warranty terms
• Support limits
• Decision deadlines

Review the available procurement paths early. State contracts, cooperative agreements, local contracts, and competitive solicitations may have different rules, approval steps, and timelines.

VIcom provides information about its current contract vehicles. Each public entity should confirm its eligibility and procurement requirements with its own officials.

Build a delivery plan that covers:

• Site surveys
• Design approval
• Submittals
• Equipment lead times
• System staging
• Site preparation
• Installation
• Testing
• Staff training
• Operational handoff

Name one person who can resolve conflicts between IT, facilities, security, communications, procurement, and the program owner.

Create a Project Record Leaders Can Use

Summarize each proposed project on one clear record:

• Service and locations affected
• Current conditions and risk score
• Desired outcome
• Included scope
• Excluded scope
• Dependencies
• Responsible teams
• Estimated cost
• Recurring costs
• Procurement path
• Target dates
• Acceptance tests
• Support owner
• Lifecycle owner

This format helps leaders compare projects with different purposes. It also records why the agency approved, delayed, or changed a project.

Set Firm Project Gates

Many government AV projects stall because teams delay key decisions until installation begins.

Common problems include:

• Security reviews that start after equipment ships
• Furniture that blocks camera views
• Recording needs discovered during final testing
• Site conditions that differ from the design
• Missing requirements found after bids arrive

Use clear approval gates:

• Require stakeholder approval before approving the design.
• Confirm site readiness before ordering equipment.
• Approve access and change-control plans before installation.
• Complete functional, accessibility, security, and recovery tests before closeout.

Each gate should have an owner, deadline, and required evidence.

Track a First-Quarter Scorecard

After 90 days, leaders should see more than the amount of money committed.

Report:

• Percentage of rooms inventoried
• High-risk issues with named owners
• Room standards approved
• Projects with confirmed procurement paths
• Site-readiness problems resolved
• Acceptance tests completed or defined
• Decisions that could delay delivery

This scorecard can reveal problems while leaders still have time to act. Available funds cannot speed a project if the team has not completed surveys, security reviews, approvals, or construction work.

Keep the Roadmap Current

Update priorities when new information changes the risk. Examples include:

• Security notices
• Failed public meetings
• Building renovations
• Equipment failures
• Manufacturer end-of-support notices
• New accessibility needs

Record each change, the reason for it, and the temporary steps that will protect the service.

Before the next quarter, hold an executive review with the project sponsor, finance, procurement, IT, facilities, security, and program owners. Confirm which projects will proceed, which risks leaders will accept, and which decisions require escalation.

Publish the approved project order, owners, dates, and assumptions. This gives departments, vendors, and users one shared plan.

VIcom can help Virginia public entities assess rooms, define standards, coordinate AV, UC, and network requirements, stage systems, deploy through approved procurement paths, and support equipment throughout its service life.

A strong FY2027 plan should focus on a short list of well-supported projects that the agency can deliver. The first 90 days provide the time to choose them, assign ownership, and prepare them for successful deployment.

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