The university expenditure on information technology is significant. A significant portion of that spending is with external vendors on hardware, software, and services.
The lack of technology standards and common practices across the university has created a digital environment that is inconsistent and prohibitive to collaboration and interoperability. The university has taken steps to address these issues. The Office of the Chief Information Officer has created an enterprise architecture function that will work with constituents across the university to develop an IT strategy that effectively guides our planning and acquisition process to begin to create a more interoperable IT environment. Our Resource Management organization, skilled in negotiation and contracting, will engage with faculty and staff to negotiate and/or leverage strategic sourcing agreements, enterprise licenses, volume or coordinated discounts, and more.
The technology procurement policy provides a defined process for both the new and recurring procurement (through purchase or lease) of computer hardware, software, and IT services, using Washington University funds or grant funds administered by Washington University. The policy will help leverage the investment, ensure alignment with the IT strategy and improve the quality of the vendor contracts. It is an integral part of both the university’s information technology strategy and overall cost-containment strategy to support the institution’s academic missions of teaching, patient care, and research. Specific benefits include:
- Lower procurement costs
- No bidding required if using a preferred vendor
- Increased value-added services
- Higher vendor performance levels
- Enterprise licensing opportunity
- Compliance with IT architecture and improved interoperability
- Compliance with federal procurement guidelines
- Avoidance of over-purchasing software licenses
- Improved productivity from a well-engineered IT environment (access to software, common solutions that support collaboration)
- Simplifies and clarifies the process for obtaining IT equipment and services
WU Procurement Procedures for obtaining computer hardware, software, or IT Services can be found here.