Information Technology Procurement

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Information Technology Procurement

• Informatics Training for CDC Public Health
  Advisors

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Reality check Costs 1
Hardware and Software
Planning, design, specification, management
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Reality check Costs 2
System development
System maintenance
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Three procurement issues

• What IT to procure
• How to procure it
• How to get it delivered on time and on budget

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What IT to procure

• Strategic plan for your agency Þ for IS
• IRM policies plan into action
• Business case
• Statement of requirements
• Proceed to Step 2 How to procure it

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What IT to procure (contd)

• Business case
• must detail benefits in measurable terms
• business case helps management prioritize, i.e.,
  not just go/no go decision
• Accountability and monitoring are critical
• Senior management should understand as well as
  approve the business case (e.g., GIS in WA)

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What IT to procure (contd)

• Detailed statement of requirements
• Changes during actual procurement process are
  very expensive need to do this up front
• Distinguish mandatory from desirable features
  analyze latter for incremental costs/benefits
• What must we be able to do, not What do we
  want to build
• Build in transition, flexibility, scalability

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Procuring IT Buy or build

• Dont make this a religious matter
• Three options, in order of preference
• Buy a package already on the market
• Get external vendor to develop what you need
• Develop it in house
• If you choose 3, dont think you need less
  formality with requirements specification

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Procuring IT (contd)

• Big procurement/development? Form a Steering
  Committee (e.g., CDC PGDB)
• Clear procurement plan, with clear assignment of
  responsibilities
• Involve internal auditors when it can be most
  helpful

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Three keys to IT procurement

• Specificity (functional requirements of product
  precise nature of IT service)
• Can be gt50 of total work involved!
• Performance measurement specified in the
  contract, plan, etc.
• Modularity beyond engineering and maintenance
  benefits, allows an early warning system

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Bringing it home

• Needs a good project manager
• Regular written progress problems reports
• Manager/SC must respond ASAP
• Demo, demo, demo Test, test, test
• Once development/procurement is begun, resist
  changes to requirements! Consequences must be
  made explicit.

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Bringing it home (contd)

• Measure the finished modules, product against
  previously agreed upon metrics.
• Whenever possible, test real world scenarios in
  parallel, in new and old systems, to determine
  accuracy

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Want specifics?

• http//www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/