Summary: 

This policy provides guidelines and outlines procedures for the review, approval and purchase of all technology-related goods and services by faculty and staff of the College. It applies to the development or purchase of all information technology, including using institutional or external grant funds.

The intent is to involve Information Services early in the technology acquisition process to ensure that goals are defined and met, that the acquisition does not duplicate or contradict existing College resources, that regulatory and College requirements are met, and that compatibility with other technology and processes is realized.

I. Policy and Scope

Kalamazoo College’s purchasing policies outline the processes and procedures used to purchase goods and services for the College. Such purchases must meet the College’s needs at the lowest possible cost consistent with the quality needed for the proper operation of the various academic departments and administrative offices.  In general, purchases should be made in a manner that maximize opportunities and create the best value for each dollar expended. 

This policy provides guidelines and outlines procedures for the review, approval and development or purchase of all technology related goods and services by faculty and staff of the College. It applies to the purchase of all information technology (hardware; software; services; internet (cloud) or externally hosted systems, software and services) using institutional or external grant funds.

II. Responsibilities

Requests for purchases of technology by faculty and staff must be coordinated with the Information Services (IS) Department to ensure the reasonableness of the purchase and its compatibility with the College’s technology software, data, equipment and infrastructure.

IS is responsible for the review and acquisition of all technology hardware; software; services; and any cloud or externally hosted systems, software and/or services requested by faculty and staff.

IS will assist faculty and staff in reviewing their technology needs, participating in selection of an appropriate solution, and ensuring that technology solutions integrate appropriately with other systems on campus.

III. Definitions

Technology hardware includes, but is not limited to: desktop and laptop computers and peripherals, external storage drives (except thumb drives, CDs/DVDs, smartcards), servers, tablets/PDAs, monitors, printers, copiers, plotters, scanners, projectors, multi-media players, flat panel displays/televisions, fax machines, desk phones, cameras and network devices.

Software includes, but is not limited to, any software application that is loaded on College owned technology hardware (desktops/laptops/tablets) or delivered over the internet.

IV. Procedures

Requests for IT related purchases must be coordinated with the Business Office and pre-approved by the CIO or designee within IS. The Business Office will not process purchase orders for technology without the accompanying written or electronic approval from the Office of the CIO or designee. Technology purchases are not to be purchased on College-issued P-cards without advance approval from the Business Office and written or electronic approval of the purchase from the CIO.

Departmental/Enterprise Software Purchases:

IS must be included in review of any departmental/enterprise software, whether hosted on a desktop computer or a server. (This includes both fee-based and zero-dollar provided software.) IS will review your request to ensure the adequacy of security and support standards, interfaces with other technologies, and licensing compliance. IS will also assist you in establishing an implementation schedule and provide approximate costs for your request. Contact the Help Desk before pursuing any vendor discussions.

Internet or Externally Hosted Systems, Software and Services Purchases:

IS must be included in the review of any internet or externally hosted systems, software and services to ensure that they meet security and support standards, interface with other technologies, licenses are in compliance, schedule of implementation is attainable, etc. This includes both fee-based and zero-dollar provided services. Contact the Help Desk before pursuing any vendor discussions.

VII. Review and Approval

This policy was reviewed and approved by the President’s Staff and implemented July 7, 2020.