Q. What is the Department of Enterprise Services?
A. The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is a new state agency that merges all or portions of the following departments: General Administration, Printing, Personnel, Information Services, and the Office of Financial Management (OFM).
In creating the Department of Enterprise Services, Governor Chris Gregoire and the Legislature envisioned the new agency as one that excels at customer service while providing highly valued and competitive services to state government and Washington residents.
Q. How will DES improve the efficiency of Washington State government?
A. By bringing together the various agencies that provide services to other state agencies, DES will provide opportunities for streamlining processes and services and eliminating redundancies. It will also provide agencies with a one-stop shop for such basic services as printing, mail, purchasing, and contracts.
The agencies that are coming together in DES will be able to share resources, such as conference rooms, copiers and printers, and network equipment. This consolidation of agencies also provides the opportunity to reduce or redirect staff resources in areas such as management and support services.
Q. With all of the changes that are happening, how do I know which services went to DES, OFM or Consolidated Technology Services?
A. All of the functions of the Departments of General Administration and Printing are now part of DES.
The Department of Personnel was split between DES and the Office of the State HR Director at OFM. The policy functions (rules & appeals, workforce planning, classification and compensation, performance management, and workforce data) are now under OFM. HR services (payroll, training, recruitment, small agency, and employee assistance) are now part of DES.
DES supports enterprise applications, inlcuding the statewide financial, administrative and reporting systems that were previously offered by OFM, DOP and GA. The Department of Information Services was split between DES, the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), and Consolidated Technology Services (CTS). The OCIO is responsible for statewide IT policy. CTS provides the backbone infrastructure that supports the state’s technology needs, including the state data center and utility systems such as phone and email. DES now supports Access Washington, systems integration services and the IT procurement and leasing services previously supported by DIS.
Some functions of the Office of Financial Management also transferred to DES, including contracts and statewide vendors, risk management, and small agency client services.
Q. I knew who to call in the old agencies. Will these contacts remain the same?
A. For the most part, you will continue to work with the same employees that you have worked with in the past. Email addresses have changed to a new standard format of firstname.lastname@des.wa.gov (all lower case). Old email addresses will continue to work and will be automatically redirected to the new address. Phone numbers have changed for DES employees who moved to 1500 Jefferson. For a limited time, you will be redirected to the new phone number when you call the old number. See Contact Us for a list of contact information for various services.
Q. Where is DES located?
A. Our headquarters is at 1500 Jefferson in Olympia, Washington. We also have operations at other locations.
Q. Can state agencies reserve conference room space at 1500 Jefferson?
A. Only tenants of the 1500 Jefferson building can reserve conference rooms at this time.
Q. Where do I go for training? Is there parking?
A. Training is held in various locations around the state, with our main training center located at 1500 Jefferson in Olympia. Check the training schedule or announcement for the location of a specific class. Once you’ve registered, you will receive directions and parking information. For the training center at 1500 Jefferson, there is limited metered parking available in the visitor lot across Jefferson Street, at a cost of $1.50 per hour. This location is also served by Intercity Transit routes 601 and 603 and the DASH. It is within walking distance of state offices on the Capitol Campus.
Q. How many employees work at DES?
A. DES has nearly 1,100 employees.
Q. How do I apply for a job at DES?
A. View all DES job openings.