ITS Budget Request Process

Process Overview:
The internal process for each division of the college is the responsibility of the respective senior administrator. General practice is for the next level of administrators to be responsible for the process with an appropriate level of communication with the senior administrator. In more complex areas, the process may be split further into more specific functional sections. It is typical for each dean to specify the internal process to be used in his/her school; the process for administrative departments is usually handled by the department directors in most divisions; etc. In all cases, the administrators "up stream" should be kept informed.

No matter how the process is defined for each area, when the special projects are processed in committee, the ATC or ETC representative is responsible to advocate for requests from his/her area. Committee members from ITS also provide assistance in the discussion. It is strongly recommended that the ITS desktop support person and the ATC or ETC representative be involved as integrally as possible in the process for each area.

Even though ITS can occasionally anticipate some of the needs, it is important that each department be proactive in making sure their IT needs are known. ITS can not necessarily provide for needs that arise after the budget planning process is complete.

Request Process:
The following provides the IT budget request process for FY 2007-2008. Please be sure to follow all the steps below when requesting an IT Funded item. If you are in need of additional references to request IT budget items please see the Additional References below for additional help.

The ITS Budget Process consists of the following main steps that are listed below:

(1). Determine need for additional IT equipment.
(2). Generate general department interest to see if other areas in your department would benefit from the request (the more rationale that advocates for a project the more likely it may be approved).
(3). Dialogue with your Desktop Support person to determine feasibility of the request.
(4). Determine the type of budget request you need to make (Obsolescence or Special Project) then follow the remaining corresponding steps below:

Note: If you are requesting multiple items consisting of both Obsolescence and Special Project items, please only fill in the forms for Special Project requests.


Important Budget Dates:
November 12 - January 31
Schedule a budget meeting (with the above listed), after completing steps 1 - 4

January 31 - February 7
Deans, Directors, and Vice Presidents review and forward a summary of any concerns to the Chief Information Officer.

February 7 - March 7
If further clarification is needed, ITS and the ATC or ETC representative have follow-up meetings with chairs, directors, and deans. ETC, ATC, and ITC all meet to finalize the prioritization of projects. That plan is forwarded to the Capital Coordination Team.

March 10 - April 15
The Capital Coordination Team prepares a draft of the comprehensive Capital Expenditure Plan for FY08.

April 24
IPFC Reviews Operating and Capital Plans- votes for approval

May 6
College Council reviews and votes on IPFC recommendations.

May 16
Board of Trustees votes on FY08 Operating and Capital Plans.


Items covered via the centralized ITS Budget Process include:

• Desktop computers and laptops
• Printers
• Scanners
• Digital cameras
• PDAs
• Software costing more than $1,000

If there is a question about whether a particular request should be submitted on the ITS budget or another college budget, the ITS desktop support person can often clarify. The CIO has final discretion about what is submitted on the ITS budget.


Terms:
Obsolescence
These requests are typically ones that ITS maintains standard cycle times for replacement or upgrade, but to assist in that process individuals should discuss their anticipated needs with their desktop support person.

Special Project:
These requests include items that represent new additions to a departments IT structure(computer hardware, computer software, audio or video).


Additional References:
-ITS Budget Process FAQ
-Recommendations for the IT Budget Request Process
-ETC Committee Member Listing
-ATC Committee Member Listing
-ITC Committee Member Listing
-IT Budget Request Form (same as listed above)
-Additional questions about the Process? Contact ITS Operations.