OPO COMPUTER HARDWARE & SOFTWARE PURCHASING PROCEDURE

The purchasing of computer hardware and software is managed in collaboration with CSO (formally CNS) and by a yearly OPO budget. The OPO budget is defined in September and spending plans are defined on a quarterly basis. OPO oversight is provided by Stratis Kakadelis, Cheryl Schmidt and Kelly Williamson (Stratis & Kelly are OPO's Key Users -- Cheryl is responsible for all procurement). CSO is represented by Hugh Wilson.

HARDWARE PURCHASES

All computer hardware (PCs, Macs, & UNIX systems and peripherals) purchases must receive budget approval and be reviewed by CSO for technical compatibility. An overview of the process and the responsible parties is outlined below:

  1. An employee initiates a request for a new piece of hardware by first contacting their manager. Then they should notify either Stratis, Cheryl or Kelly (OPO-3). This request is then copied to all three and recorded on a list of proposed purchases.
  2. Budget approval for all computer hardware purchases is needed. Items that have been identified in the yearly OPO budget will not need to be approved again. New items will be reviewed against other requests and available discretionary funds. OPO management has final authority on discretionary requests.
  3. Upon receiving preliminary budget approval, OPO-3 will notify CSO of the hardware request. CSO will review the request for compatibility with existing equipment and ensure that the item will meet the user's needs. If the requested item is not well-defined CSO (in collaboration with the end user) will generate a system specification.
  4. CSO will provide OPO-3 and the original requester a detailed specification that will form the basis for the purchase request (PR).
  5. Upon final budget approval, Cheryl will generate a PR, send it to purchasing, and notify CSO/Hugh. CSO will add the item to its upcoming equipment list.
  6. All equipment is received via CSO (Hugh) and a notification is sent to OPO-3.
  7. CSO (per the Service Level Agreement) will schedule a time with the user to deliver/install the equipment. If the new hardware is something major (new system, internal hardware card, etc.), CSO will conduct a pre-install interview to determine if there are any special issues that must be addressed (reinstall all applications, conflicts with existing hardware, etc.).

SOFTWARE PURCHASES

Software purchases go through the same procedure as that for hardware purchases.

COMPUTER MAINTENANCE, PROBLEMS & RESOLUTIONS

Users having problems with their systems should send an email to the appropriate computer support help desk:

If the resolution to the problem requires new hardware/software, the user should contact OPO-3 to arrange for replacement or repair. Issues with CSO support should be brought to the attention of OPO-3, who will work with CSO to resolve the issue.

COMPUTER BUDGET PROCESS

OPO computer purchases are limited by a yearly equipment budget. The yearly budget is defined in the late summer and goes into effect October 1. OPO-3 will send out an all-staff email requesting all upcoming computer/software requirements. OPO-3 will then meet with the TWIGS/Leads to collect these requests and devise a spending plan for the upcoming quarter. The TWIGS/Leads are responsible for prioritizing the list of equipment/software requests. There will be money set a side for unexpected purchases throughout the year.

In addition, four times a year, a quarterly spending plan will be devised based on the yearly budget and any new requirements. Just as was done for the yearly budget, the staff will be notified and the TWIGs/Leads will prioritize their lists. The goal of this process is to more evenly spend OPO's equipment budget so that we don't end up with 80% of our purchases at the end of the year.

Final budget authority rests with the OPO head. Purchase requirements via the TWIGS/Leads are due in the first week of the months of October, January, April, & June.

TERMS