| Shifts | Start Time | End Time | Description | Active | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shift 1 | 8:00 AM | 4:30 PM | Regular Shift | Yes |
| Type | Category | Qualification | Description | Competency | Required | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skills | Database | Microsoft SQL Server | Novice (1-3 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Database | MySQL | Novice (1-3 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Languages | SQL | Novice (1-3 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Others | Communication skills both verbal and written | Proficient (4-6 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Others | Learning ability | Proficient (4-6 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Others | Process Flow Analysis | Novice (1-3 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Others | Team work | Proficient (4-6 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Tools | MicrosoftOffice | Novice (1-3 Years) | No | |||||||||
| Skills | Tools | SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) | Novice (1-3 Years) | No |
| Question | Response | ||||||||||
| Has this contractor request been discussed with the AC and DC or equivalent? | |||||||||||
| Has leadership approved pursuing contractor support instead of a state position, internal reassignment, or other alternative? | Yes, Anthony informed us to proceed with backfill | ||||||||||
| Division | |||||||||||
| Department ID | |||||||||||
| Program area, unit, or team requesting contractor support | TDHS Quality Assurance | ||||||||||
| Type of request | |||||||||||
| What type of contractor support is being requested? | QA Analyst III | ||||||||||
| How many contractors are being requested? | 1 | ||||||||||
| What is the anticipated start date? | 09/14/2026 | ||||||||||
| What is the expected end date? | Unknown | ||||||||||
| Contractor work type | Quality Assurance Testing | ||||||||||
| Contractor work location | Hybrid | ||||||||||
| What is the reason for requesting contractor support? | This request for a backfill is for a QA Analyst III position vacated on 7/31/2026. The vacancy has created an immediate gap in the team's ability to validate and deliver system changes that directly impact citizen benefit services. Contractor support is the preferred staffing solution for the following reasons: Speed A contractor can be onboarded significantly faster than a state classified hire, minimizing disruption to active project timelines and release schedules Specialized Skills The required combination of ADA/Section 508 accessibility testing and AI-powered testing expertise is more readily available in the contractor market Defined Scope The primary need is tied to a specific need (manual, automation, ADA, and AI-powered tool) experience making a contractor engagement more appropriate than a permanent FTE commitment Budget Availability Funding is available within the existing contract vehicle, avoiding the long-term cost obligations associated with a permanent state employee Operational Continuity This is a backfill of an already validated and essential role. The testing responsibilities did not disappear with the previous resource and must be continuously performed to protect program integrity and compliance Leaving this position vacant is not a viable option as it introduces unacceptable risk to project delivery, ADA compliance, federal program integrity, and the continuity of services. | ||||||||||
| What specific business problem, service need, operational gap, or compliance issue does this request address? | The absence of a dedicated QA Analyst creates an immediate and measurable gap in the agency's ability to deliver, validate, and maintain critical systems that support the administration of benefits and services to Tennessee citizens. This request address the following: Business Problem The vacancy creates an immediate risk of undetected system defects reaching production, threatening the accuracy of eligibility determinations and benefit calculations. Existing staff lack the capacity to absorb testing responsibilities without sacrificing quality and productivity across active workstreams. Service Need Citizens who depend on TDHS-administered rely on accurate, reliable systems. Without dedicated testing coverage, system enhancements and policy-driven updates cannot be safely deployed, directly impacting vulnerable populations and caseworker efficiency. | ||||||||||
| How does this contractor support departmental or organization goals? | The QA Analyst III contractor directly advances strategic priorities across the following areas: Program Integrity Ensures accurate eligibility determinations and benefit processing by validating system changes before production deployment, protecting the integrity of federally funded programs and reducing the risk of improper payments. Digital Equity & Accessibility Dedicated ADA and Section 508 testing ensures all citizens, including those with disabilities, have equal access to TDHS digital services, fulfilling the agency's legal obligations and commitment to equitable service delivery. Technology Modernization AI-powered testing expertise directly supports the department's IT modernization goals by introducing intelligent automation, reducing manual testing effort, and accelerating the delivery of system enhancements to critical platforms such as EBMS. Risk Reduction Comprehensive testing coverage reduces legal, financial, and operational risk associated with production defects, accessibility violations, and federal audit findings that could disrupt services or trigger corrective action. Operational Efficiency AI-driven testing tools reduce cycle times, lower maintenance costs, and free existing staff to focus on higher-value strategic work, delivering long-term efficiency gains across the organization. | ||||||||||
| What are the specific impacts on service delivery, operations, compliance, timeliness, or customer service if this contractor support is not approved? | Failure to approve this contractor backfill will have immediate consequences across these critical areas: Service Delivery Undetected system defects risk incorrect benefit determinations and payment errors for citizens depending on SNAP and Families First with vulnerable populations facing the greatest impact. Operations Existing staff will be forced to absorb testing duties, resulting in burnout, reduced productivity, and declining quality across all active workstreams. Without AI-powered testing, manual processes will continue to slow delivery and limit scalability. Compliance The agency faces growing ADA, Section 508, and federal program integrity exposure, increasing the likelihood of audit findings, Corrective Action Plans, and financial penalties. Timeliness Active releases and policy-driven system updates will face immediate delays, with testing backlogs creating compounding schedule impacts across multiple projects. Customer Service Caseworkers and citizens will experience reduced system reliability, increased errors, and accessibility barriers, driving up complaints, appeals, and processing times. | ||||||||||
| Why is contractor support needed instead of filling or creating a state position? | Contractor support is the most appropriate solution for this need for the following reasons: Speed of Hire A state classified position requires several months to post, recruit, screen, select, and onboard. Active projects and release schedules cannot sustain that gap. A contractor can be engaged and productive in a fraction of the time through an existing contract vehicle. Specialized Skill Set The required combination of ADA/Section 508 accessibility testing and AI-powered testing expertise represents a highly specialized skill set that:
Cost Efficiency A contractor engagement avoids the long-term financial obligations of a permanent state employee including benefits, retirement contributions, and salary commitments beyond the period of need. Funding is already available within the existing contract vehicle. Backfill of Validated Need This is not a request for a new or expanded capability. It is a backfill of an already approved and validated role. The fastest and most practical path to restoring that capability is through contractor support. | ||||||||||
| Contractor Need is: Temporary, Seasonal, Project-Specific, Urgent, Specialized, or Ongoing | Urgent and Specialized | ||||||||||
| How are these duties or services currently being handled? | In the absence of a dedicated QA Analyst III, testing duties are being managed through interim measures: Absorbed by Existing Staff Current team members are informally taking on testing responsibilities alongside their primary duties, resulting in incomplete test coverage, divided attention, increased error risk, and staff burnout. Reduced Testing Scope Without dedicated resources, the team will be forced to scale back testing activities. As a result:
Growing Testing Backlog Deferred testing activities can accumulating technical and compliance debt including unexecuted test cases, undocumented defects, and unvalidated system changes. | ||||||||||
| What alternatives have been considered using existing staff, vacant positions, reassignment, overtime, process changes, or reprioritization? | None | ||||||||||
| Why are those alternatives not feasible? | The following alternatives were considered:
| ||||||||||
| What technology opportunities, including AI, automation, bots, workflow tools, reporting tools, or system enhancements have been explored to assist with or replace this work? | None | ||||||||||
| Provide a summary of the specific work the contractor will perform. | The QA Analyst III contractor will perform the following core duties in support of TDHS systems and projects: Test Planning & Strategy Develop and maintain test plans, test schedules, and test scope definitions aligned to project milestones and release cycles in collaboration with business and technical teams. Test Execution & Defect Management Develop and execute manual, automation, functional, regression, integration, and UAT test cases. Document, track, and manage defects through resolution while conducting post-deployment validation to confirm release stability. AI-Powered Testing Implement and manage AI-powered testing platforms to automate regression cycles, develop self-healing test scripts, leverage predictive defect analysis, and generate test cases from requirements reducing manual effort and accelerating delivery. ADA & Accessibility Testing Conduct structured ADA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA compliance testing using both automated scanning tools and manual testing methods including screen reader and keyboard navigation validation. Document defects and verify remediation before release. Reporting & Metrics Produce test execution reports, defect trend analysis, and release readiness assessments that provide leadership and project teams with clear visibility into system quality and testing progress. Collaboration Serve as a tester across development, business, and project management teams, participating in Agile ceremonies and communicating testing status and risks to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. | ||||||||||
| What work is outside of the contractor's scope? | None | ||||||||||
| What qualifications, certifications, licenses, experience, or technical skills are required? | Education Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and two years professional experience in one or a combination of the following: 1) software applications development; 2) systems analysis or design; 3) testing and quality documentation and execution; or 4) business analysis and process design. Substitution of a specific Associate's Degree for the Required Bachelor's Degree: An associate's degree in business data processing (e.g., business data programming, business systems analysis, or computer accounting), management information systems, computer and information systems, or other related Information Technology field from an accredited college or university may substitute for the required bachelor's degree. Substitution of Experience for Education: Qualifying experience in one or a combination of the following areas may substitute for the required education, on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of four years: 1) testing and quality assurance work, or 2) any information systems work including but not limited to computer programming, database administration, or information systems analysis (e.g., experience equivalent to one year of full-time work in one or a combination of the above listed fields may substitute for one year of the required education). Substitution of Graduate Coursework for Experience: Additional qualifying graduate course work in Information Systems may substitute for the required experience, on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of one year (e.g., 36 graduate quarter hours in Information Systems may substitute for one year of the required experience). Experience Minimum 3-5 years of software testing experience in a complex system environment, proven experience with ADA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA accessibility testing, Hands-on experience with AI-powered testing, experience in Agile/Scrum environments, State or federal health and human services system experience preferred Familiarity with eligibility and benefit management systems. Technical Skills
Professional Skills Strong written and verbal communication for technical and non-technical audiences Ability to manage multiple priorities across concurrent workstreams, detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities | ||||||||||
| What are the expected deliverables, work products, or measurable outputs? | Manual Test Cases & Automated Test Scripts Fully developed, reviewed, and maintained covering functional, regression, integration, and UAT scenarios | ||||||||||
| What deadlines, milestones, volume expectations, or performance measures will apply? | Test cases developed and maintained across all active projects and releases Full regression and smoke testing executed each release cycle Defects documented within 1 business day of discovery UAT sessions facilitated for each project or release cycle Weekly status reports delivered during active testing cycles | ||||||||||
| Who will provide day-to-day oversight and approve the contractor's work? | Sandra Glenn | ||||||||||
| Will the contractor need access to state systems, facilities, equipment, data, or confidential information? | Yes | ||||||||||
| What is the estimated total cost, rate, or contract amount? | $53.00 | ||||||||||
| What funding source, budget availability, cost estimate, workload data, or other documentation supports this request? |
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| Needs to be uploaded | Filename | ||||||||||
| Current organizational chart | |||||||||||
| Deputy Commissioner or equivalent approval | |||||||||||
| Cost estimate of Budget Worksheet | |||||||||||
| Proposed scope of work | |||||||||||
| Workload, backlog, caseload, or productivity data | |||||||||||
| Filled versus unfilled position report, if applicable | |||||||||||
| Draft deliverables or performance measures | |||||||||||
| Grant, audit, corrective action, or compliance documentation, if applicable | |||||||||||
| Current contract, amendment, or renewal justification, if applicable |
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| Location | Nashville, TN |
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