The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine
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November 1995 - Volume 12:2 [Printout | Contents | Search ]
By Bonnie Gibson and Donna Milici The primary goal of the University's site license program is to make hardware and software available at the lowest possible cost by negotiating site license and volume purchase agreements with vendors. Begun as an ad hoc effort in the mid-1980's, the program has evolved into a coordinated service, managed by Information Systems and Computing (ISC), which has negotiated over thirty vendor agreements covering hundreds of products. The site license program saves the University several hundred thousand dollars each year. As shown in the accompanying list, the site license products currently available range from general productivity tools to special-function software. Beyond the addition of new platforms, modules, and products, there are several recent advancements worthy of note:
Steering committeeSince 1993 the site license program has been governed by a steering committee, involving both ISC and School representatives. The group meets once a month to address global issues of needs assessment, negotiation, management, distribution, and marketing. The committee helps ensure that ISC effort and resources are devoted to negotiating and managing license agreements that make the most sense for Penn.
Product evaluation groupsThe committee often receives requests to pursue licenses for competing products. Sometimes the need for multiple products in the same category is warranted, if, for example, products vary in functionality or compatibility. However, to garner sufficient volume or limit support costs, it may be necessary to select only one product in a category for volume licensing. Ad hoc product evaluation teams are mobilized to furnish recommendations to the committee. These evaluation groups are composed of users and support staff with expertise in targeted areas (e.g., statistics, utilities, or communications), who test and evaluate comparable products from competing vendors and recommend the most appropriate.
Making requestsThe steering committee developed a form to be used when requesting products for consideration for a site license or a volume discount. The request form is available in hard-copy, via fax, or electronically. The requester must justify the need for a volume discount or site license for products for which there is a fairly universal need (beyond an individual School or department). The requests help the committee prioritize products to be pursued as well as maintain an overall picture of campus needs and academic initiatives. Request forms are available at the Computing Resource Center, by calling 898-9090, or sending e-mail to ssl@isc.upenn.edu.
Strategic site license fundAn annual pool of funds has been earmarked, through internal reallocation of ISC budgets, to support the full or partial subsidization of strategic agreements and licenses in order to minimize their cost to the end user and to promote their penetration on campus. The steering committee developed the following criteria to guide them in the allocation of strategic funds, which are solicited using the site license request form:
What to look for in the futureThe committee is committed to continued improvement of the site license program. To that end, it has outlined several key initiatives to help make the program run more efficiently. They include:
BONNIE GIBSON is Director of Finance and Administration for ISC; DONNA MILICI is Director of Academic Computing Services. Sidebar: Current agreements University of Pennsylvania volume purchase agreements and site licenses are briefly noted below with telephone contact information; e-mail inquiries should be addressed to ssl@isc.upenn.edu. Please watch for our new Web site to come online soon, as a resource for acquiring current product information, pricing, and order forms. Note: the list below includes products for which site licenses and purchase discounts have been negotiated but does not necessarily imply ISC recommendation or full support. Database
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