Chapter 11 - IT Procurement Planning and Strategic Sourcing

Here are several key IT procurement planning principles:

• Sourcing should be consistent with market capabilities and available spend rather than driving solutions toward prescriptive requirements.
• Strive for quick and easy IT solutions.
• IT solutions should be forward facing and positioned for future supportability.
• Procurement planning can prepare agencies for negotiating mutually collaborative agreements with IT suppliers. These agreements should reflect the best agreements in the marketplace.
• Agency stakeholders including the business owner, project manager, information security officer and procurement lead should be in constant collaboration.
• Consider all required processes and approvals (VITA, federal, other) in your procurement timeline for a realistic versus reactive procurement process.