Technology Purchase Policy
All technology* being purchased for university use, regardless of funding source, will be acquired only after review and approval by the Department of Computing Resources.
The Department of Computing Resources is committed to prompt reviews. The length of time required for a review will be dictated by the complexity of the technology under consideration.
Technology purchases may, at the discretion of the Director of Computing Resources, also require approval by the Executive Council of the university.
*Technology is defined as hardware, software (new or upgrades), peripherals (printers, scanners, etc), audio-visual equipment, telecommunication services, hosted systems, technology consulting services, and specialized computers and related equipment such as PDAs (cell phones, blackberries, etc). Supplies such as CDs, printer toner and cartridges, etc are not covered by this policy.
Purpose
This review and approval policy is intended to provide:
- cost savings through negotiated discounts, standardization, volume discounts, and by avoiding duplication
- assurance that proper technology support is available
- appropriate updating of the university technology inventory
- compatibility assurance with the university technology environment
- software license compliance
- data security standards compliance
- proper installation planning and assistance
- planning for any interfaces with existing systems
- identification of the long-term cost of ownership
- identification (if relevant) of the appropriate leadership of the technology project
- coordination among divisions and departments.
Technology Contracts
Any contract associated with a technology purchase can only be signed by the Director of Purchasing, the VP for Finance and Administration, or the University President. Such contracts must also be co-signed by the Director of Computing Resources. No other position has authority to enter into a technology contract for the university.
Process
Computing Resources must be contacted at the initial stage of considering a technology purchase. All requests will be reviewed promptly with sizeable requests also submitted to EC for approval.
Planned technology purchases that have been approved by Computing Resources (and EC if appropriate) must be submitted with other budget requests. Planned purchases that have been approved by Computing Resources outside of the normal budget cycle must be submitted to EC for funding consideration.
In the event a technology purchase request is not approved by Computing Resources, the requestor may appeal the decision to EC.
Ownership
Technology purchased with university funds, or grant funds awarded to the university, is the property of SNHU.
(Adopted by Executive Council April 2009)