Procuring New Software for FCS

This article intends to guide FCS employees through New Software Procurement in accordance with current IT Governance practices. Identifying a software need may seem easy, but bringing a new solution into Cornell University -the right way- can be challenging. New Software may refer to new licenses/subscriptions, Software as a Service (SaaS), cloud services, or databases that are new to Cornell, the unit, or you. Each project is unique and may not follow this guide exactly, but this should help.

What Qualifies as "New?"

This article intends to guide Facilities and Campus Services (FCS) employees through New Software Procurement in accordance with current IT Governance practices. Identifying a software need may seem easy, but bringing a new solution into Cornell University -the right way- can be challenging. New Software may refer to:

• New licenses - In addition to bringing in new software, this would include adding new licenses to an existing software contract. 
• Subscriptions
• Software as a Service (SaaS)
• Cloud services
• Databases 
• ...And More!

Additionally, a software that already exists on campus would still be new if it's new to you, your department, or all of FCS. Each of these cases would need to go through the IT Governance process. If none of these scenarios fit your specific case, refer to the Software Renewal article. 

Procurement Prerequisites

Regardless of what technology is being brought in, ensure the following actions are completed:

1. Secure funding for the project
2. Notify the Financial Analyst assigned to your department.
3. Submit Statement of Need
4. Submit a Technology Risk Assessment with the Statement of Need
5. Submit a Web Accessibility Evaluation if the request is a website or mobile application. This will begin an investigation into whether your desired software meets Web Accessibility standards.

Procurement Process (For Free Software)

Procurement Process

1. Check if Cornell University holds licenses for this product/service through:
   1.  CIT using this web page. Submit a ticket, if needed.
   2. Procurement Services’ Negotiated Agreements. Follow the steps outlined there.
2. Secure funding and approval from appropriate leadership and your department's financial manager.
3. Submit an initial Statement of Need to inform stakeholders of the upcoming shift.
   1. Be sure to add “Discovery” to the title.
   2. Initial requests should have a $0 cost.
   3. If you know this change will affect CIT, add those details.
   4. At this time, a Web Accessibility Triage and Technology Risk assessment will not be needed. 
4. This would be a perfect method and time to:
   1. Develop a stakeholder team that will stay involved during implementation.
   2. Identify and prioritize requirements for perspective vendors.
   3. Explore options to fund this project with a financial manager.
   4. Gauge CIT involvement with IT Directors.
   5. Determine whether a Project charter will be needed.
   6. If needed, select a Project Manager to lead this project. You can outsource or ask the IT PMO
5. Involve the stakeholder team in identifying potential vendors, participating in demos, and getting estimated prices. Getting an estimate early will help determine whether the project will need to go through the bidding process.
   If the SOW for a project states the price is:
   1. Less than $50k – The project can move onto the final Statement of Need submission step.
   2. Greater than $50k and a unique software – A Sole Source Justification form will need to be completed. This will be submitted with the IWNT Doc.
   3. Greater than $50k - A Request For Proposal (RFP) will be required 
      1. Create Specification sheet that:
         1. Includes prioritized requirements that are a must have and requirements that are nice to have.
         2. Shows what the new tool can do that the existing tool can’t.
         3. Includes dates for project Kick off, implementation, and Go Live
         4. Is in a word doc, PDF, or spreadsheet format. 
      2. Schedule demos to vet all options and identify 3-5 vendors that fit this project's needs
      3. Send one (1) Bid Solicitation email to Procurement with the following information:
         1. The requestor's name, e-mail address, and telephone number
         2. General description of the project, including items and quantities
         3. List of potential vendors with :
            1. Company's name
            2. Contact name
            3. E-mail address
         4. Attach the following:
            1. Specifications sheet
            2. Drawings, mockups, 
            3. Supporting documentation necessary for bidding
      4. Procurement will send out RFP for bids.
         1. You and other members of you project team will be expected to respond to questions from the Vendors. After 10 questions, Procurement will share them in an excel file.
         2. After you and the other stakeholders write the responses, send the file back to Procurement.
         3. Please contact the Shared Service Center with any questions you may have during this portion of the process.
      5. Select a Vendor and justify the selection in an email to Procurement by stating what criteria was used.
         1. If the lowest bid is selected, there is no justification needed.
   4. $200,000 or more the project is subject to being reviewed and approved by the Office of the State Comptroller
6. Select a Vendor and prepare a contract. **Note: Only agents in Procurement Services may execute (sign) contracts on behalf of the university.**
   1. The vendor should have their own contract with terms filled in to your specific project's requirements.
   2. Cornell’s IT Professional Service Agreement is typically in PDF format. An editable Word Doc IT PSA can be provided to the vendor by making a request to Procurement. The following supporting documents will be needed in addition to the PSA:
      1. Schedule A: Scope of services provided.
      2. Schedule B: Project timetable and task description.
      3. Schedule C: Payment Amount and Schedule.
      4. Schedule D: Contractor Personnel and credentials.
   3. Red-lining, editing, and arbitration on a contract will be performed by Procurement or Risk Management agents after the IWNT document is submitted.
7. At this point, if a dedicated project manager and/or business analyst has not been identified amongst the stakeholders, you will need to outsource.
   1. CIT has Project Managers and/or Business Analysts that can help. You can submit a request to the IT PMO to be assigned a CIT.
   2. You can refer to the “Procuring IT Services from Contractors” article for more information on getting non-Cornell Resources.
8. Submit a Project Charter, if needed.
   1. Fill out the IT Project Charter form and email it to the IT Project Management Office. 
   2. Charters are needed if:
      1. Acquisition and/or development of any new or end-user impacting changes to any System of Record (SoR) and/or System of Engagement (SoE).
         OR
      2. Any project that requests service from the IT Project Management Office (PMO) or that meets one or more of the PMO’s stewardship criteria;
         1. Cornell's IT capital projects.
         2. Projects involving the university's systems of record or systems of engagement.
         3. Executive mandate.
         4. Projects involving multiple campus units.
         5. Projects involving business process changes.
         6. Projects approved for funding via the IT Project Charter process.

 

 

10. Submit a final Statement of Need.
    1. Inform CIT (if they provide support to what we’re offboarding/they will support new software).
    2. You will need to answer the Web Accessibility Evaluation Triage and Technology Risk Assessment questions.
    3. There are very few cases where a statement of need is not required. Please reference this article for more information.
11. Submit an approved Statement of Need and other required documentation to the appropriate place in the Procurement Gateway.
    1. Pcard Receipts: If you indicated that a Pcard would be used in the Statement of Need, submit your documentation and a receipt here.
    2. E-Shop: This is the collection of third-party vendors. It is a good resource for hardware; however, it is not as useful for new software.
    3. I Want Doc (IWNT): Use this if the product requires a Purchase Order or is unavailable via the other two methods. Documents required when submitting an IWNT
       1. Approved Statement of Need email
       2. Technology Risk Assessment Results and supplemental documentation requested during this process. 
       3. Web Accessibility Assessment Results and supplemental documentation requested during this process. 
       4. Contract from the vendor or ITPSA
       5. Invoice, Order form, Itemized receipt
       6. Approved Project Charter, if needed.
       7. Sole Source Justification form, if needed.
12. You are free to move forward with implementation. Ensure you involve the necessary CIT departments during implementation.