2.14—Information Technology Procurement

Effective: 08/26/2013
Senate Proposal: No
Responsible University Officer: Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Responsible Office: Information Technology

Policy Statement

The Office of Information Technology (IT) is responsible for maintaining the University network, servers, workstations, and peripherals, as well as maintaining quality of information technology (IT) equipment and resources at a reasonable cost. As such, procurement of all University IT resources and services is centrally managed by IT.

Information Technology manages the purchase of IT-related items in collaboration with the University Purchasing Office. University Purchasing has the final responsibility and authority for vendor selection and all purchasing decisions.

Policy Requirements

IT involvement is required if any of the following are true:

• Assistance will be required to build, install or implement hardware or software.
• Asset will utilize the University network.
• Asset will be installed in the data center.
• Software or hardware will require campus credentials (Active Directory or Single Sign On) for authentication.
• Software or hardware generally made available to students and/or employees.
• Software will use and/or store data other than Directory Information.
• Cloud services (Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS)).
• Integration with other campus systems is required.
• Ongoing support from IT is expected.

Reason for Policy

IT centrally manages University information technology asset lifecycles following an industry standard asset management framework.

This policy establishes standards, guidelines, and procedures for the procurement of IT resources and services to support excellent stewardship of University resources.

Related Policy Information

See also:

• University Policy 2.10 Selection of Vendors
• University Policy 2.11 Approval for Purchases
• Purchasing Card Prohibited Items

Exclusions

Keweenaw Research Center (KRC), and Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) manage and maintain their own IT assets. IT involvement will be provided upon request.

Contacts

Definitions

Information Technology (IT) assets - All computers and electronic data storage, networking, transmission, and manipulation devices owned and/or controlled by any part of the University, including departmental computers and the University's IT network facilities accessed by anyone from anywhere.

Consumables - Any IT resource that is expended in the course of operating an IT resource. Examples of consumables include, but are not limited to: paper, toner, writable CDs or DVDs, and projector bulbs.

Network - A telecommunications network that allows computers to exchange data.

Server - A computer system which primarily provides one or more network services by communicating across a network.

Workstation - A general purpose computer intended for use by end-users.

Software – Data or instructions organized in the form of operating systems, utilities, programs, and applications that enable computers and related devices to operate.

Peripheral - A device connected to a personal computer that extends its capabilities. Examples of peripherals include, but are not limited to, mice, keyboards, monitors, printers/copiers.

Cloud Computing Service - A type of Internet-based computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - A provisioning model in which an organization outsources the equipment used to support operations, including storage, hardware, servers and networking components. The service provider owns the equipment and is responsible for housing, running and maintaining it.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - A category of cloud computing services that provides a platform allowing customers to develop, run and manage Web applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app.

Software as a Service (SaaS) - A software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted.

Users - Individuals, whether a member of the University community or not, who are granted access to and use of the University's information technology, whether on campus or from remote locations. Those individuals include, but are not limited to faculty, students, staff, guests, visitors, and those working on behalf of the University.

Responsibilities

Financial Managers, Chairs, Directors/Deans, and Executives - Ensure procurement of IT resources are approved according to University policy and procedures and external restrictions, such as donor and sponsor intent.

Information Technology – Responsible for centrally managing procurement of IT resources, ensuring compliance to University policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Purchasing Department – Establishes policies and procedures regarding all University purchases.

User – Complies with the policies and procedures established for procurement of IT resources and services.

Procedures

In support of this policy, the following procedures are included:

• 2.14.1 Procurement of Information Technology Equipment, Software & Consumables

Adoption Date

Revisions