Colorado State University Facilities Management

Information Technology Procurement Policy

Date Created: 06/16/2022
Last Updated: 3/15/2026

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the procurement of information technology hardware, software and services follow established Colorado State University policies and guidelines, that due diligence is performed to ensure compatibility with existing systems and policies, that appropriate plans are associated with technology acquisition and that the approval of the CSU Facilities Management IT Manager and Finance organization is obtained prior to issuance of a purchase order, disbursement voucher or purchase of items on a CSU issued PCARD. This policy applies to all technology resources and related services owned, used, or operated by Facilities Management supported by Facilities Management Information Technology, regardless of the source of funding, location or intended purpose. These resources include but are not limited to: Computers and Servers of any form factor; Software and information systems; Technology services, consulting, and maintenance contracts; Peripheral equipment (e.g. printers, scanners, etc.); Network devices; audio-visual and surveillance devices.

The following policies have been developed in conjunction with CSU procurement policies, Facilities Management Finance division, and CSU Division of IT recommendations to properly facilitate the acquisition, deployment, support, repair, and replacement of Facilities Management Technology solutions.

Summary

The policies below have been developed to:

• Standardize hardware models to improve service and reduce IT support costs for CSU Facilities Management.
• Manage hardware lifecycles including procurement, imaging, deployment, maintenance, refresh and disposal of Facilities Management systems.
• Ensure that purchased technology follows CSU Procurement, CSU Division of IT, Facilities Management Information Technology and Facilities Management Finance policies.
• Manage software lifecycles including installation, patching, upgrades, renewals, and support/maintenance contract renewals on Facilities Management supported systems.
• Ensure that purchased software and hardware meet Colorado State University and Facilities Management security standards.

To ensure compatibility with the CSU network and technology environment, Facilities Management Information Technology is required to review all proposed technology hardware and software purchases.

If your purchase is non-standard, you may be required to complete an IT Procurement Review (ITPR) or Exception Waiver before purchase. The purpose of the review is to document that the product meets usability, accessibility, and security standards or has a properly approved and documented exception to these standards.

Any purchase completed outside of these policies, without the knowledge and approval of Facilities Management Information Technology will not be covered under Facilities Management Information Technology support structure, including equipment refresh, software renewals and/or support/maintenance contract renewals.

Scope

This policy applies to all CSU Facilities Management purchased information technology resources including but not limited to desktops, laptops, servers, printers, scanners/plotters, mobile devices, network devices, peripherals, software, software as a service (SaaS), and contracted IT services or training.

New Hardware Purchases

Unless otherwise specified, user hardware requests will be fulfilled using the Standard Hardware Options below. If the requirement is for different hardware outside of the options listed below, please contact Facilities Management IT for pricing and availability. FM Information Technology can facilitate the purchase of hardware other than our Standard Hardware Options, but an Exception Waiver may be required to complete purchase.

FM Information Technology will cover costs for all new standard hardware requests (new employees), replacements and refresh for out-of-date hardware. Duplicate devices for remote or on-site work will be charged in full to the requesting FM unit and will require approval from the unit supervisor.

FM Information Technology will pay the full purchase cost for any servers or any network device that could be required to keep or upgrade our operational services.

All hardware purchases require approval from the IT Manager prior to being submitted to Finance for procurement. 

Hardware Replacement and Refresh

For the purposes of this document, hardware replacement refers to replacing a broken, lost, end-of-life or otherwise unusable piece of hardware. Hardware refresh refers to updating hardware equipment that is still functioning but is no longer in warranty and has reached refresh age.

All hardware purchases require approval from the IT Manager prior to being submitted to Finance for PO generation.

Replacement

If the item in question is still within warranty, replacement of the device will be handled via standard warranty repair/replacement through the device vendor.

If the item in question is no longer in warranty period, replacement of the device will be considered a refresh. FM Information Technology will cover all replacement costs unless the reason for replacement has been determined to be due to employee negligence or purposeful action, in which case full cost of the replacement will be charged to the employee’s FM unit.

Refresh

FM Information Technology will refresh hardware devices on a regular schedule as budgets allow to ensure functionality and compatibility with the CSU network.

• Desktop & Laptops – 5 years
• Servers & Network Equipment – 5 to 7 years
• Mobile Devices – 5 years
• Peripherals (Monitors, Mice, Keyboards, Headsets, etc) – 3 years

All hardware refresh costs will be covered by FM Information Technology unless refresh is requested out of cycle for hardware that is still functional and not creating productivity issues for the employee.

Hardware Options

The options below may change at any time due to availability, price, and vendor model retirement. It is recommended that supervisors and managers download a new copy of this document prior to requesting any purchases.

Computers

Mobile Devices

Phones

Additional Phone Models

Below are additional iPhone models available for purchase starting at $99.99. All the models below will be fully charged to the requesting department.

For more information about cost and availability please contact FM Information Technology. Visit the Apple Website for more information on the additional models listed above.

Android devices are not currently compatible with Facilities Managements’ IWMS GO application. If an Android based device is required FM Information Technology will require a completed Exception Waiver signed by the employee’s supervisor.

Monitors

Peripherals – Keyboard, Mouse & Headset
 Standard options for peripherals are provided below. If the user requires cordless or some specific ergonomic requirement, options will be provided to the requestor and requestor’s supervisor. Full costs of advanced peripherals will be charged to the requesting departments account, excepting validated ergonomic claims/issues.

Speakers
 For users with non-laptop computers (desktops, minis), one (1) set of Standard Option speakers below will be provided on request. Advanced option speakers below will be charged to the requesting departments account.

Laptop Carry Case
 On request, one (1) laptop carry case will be supplied to laptop users free of charge with initial setup. Our standard option is provided below. If the user requires a model other than the standard option below, options will be provided to the requestor and requestor’s supervisor. Full costs of any carry case other than the standard option below will be charged to the requesting departments account.

Hardware Authentication Devices

The standard method for CSU and Facilities Management employees to complete multi-factor authentication requests is through the DUO Authentication application. DUO is installed by default on all Facilities Management mobile devices.

If an employee does not have a work issued or personal phone on which to install DUO, FM Information Technology will provide one (1) hardware authentication device (Yubikey). FM Information Technology will replace any hardware key that is lost, damaged or otherwise not functioning properly once per employee. Further replacements of lost or damaged devices beyond a single replacement will be billed to the requestors FM unit account.

Miscellaneous Accessories

For any items required that are not covered in this document, please open a ticket with FM Information Technology to receive pricing and procurement guidance.

Printers

FM Information Technology recommends network attached laser printers over personal printers as small inkjet printers may violate CSU’s Live Green Initiative. Printer supplies for network printers are monitored and provided by FM Information Technology, including stocking supplies for common models.

Inkjet printers are not recommended due to increased cost per page printing, the cost and life of inkjet print cartridges, and increased support/hardware issues such as the print not drying or printer head issues.

Please contact FM Information Technology with printer requirements, justification, and supervisor approval. All Facilities Management printers will be leased and maintained under the FM Information Technology budget. Any printers procured outside of this policy will not be supported or maintained by FM Information Technology, including any home printers.

Hardware Disposal
 FM Information Technology will recycle all hardware that is no longer in use and ensure that all data and information is destroyed prior to recycling. Once all data is securely destroyed from old hardware, FM Information Technology will facilitate recycling through the CSU Surplus Department.

Software Procurement

All software installed on a Facilities Management provided computer must be approved by and ordered through FM Information Technology. This is to ensure that all software is compliant with University and Facilities Management policies and any relevant support/maintenance renewals are completed in a timely manner. Any software that is ordered or installed outside of this policy will not be supported, maintained, or renewed in any way by FM Information Technology. If the use of unauthorized software results in computer or network stability issues that require FM Information Technology to correct, all repair/reconfiguration time will be billed to the employee department at $150.00/hour.

All computers issued to new employees will have the following software installed by default:

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Teams
• Global Protect VPN
• Acrobat Reader
• Browsers - Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox & Microsoft Edge

If employee job duties require additional software to be installed (Bluebeam, AutoDesk, Adobe Creative Suite, etc) please specify which packages should be installed during employee onboarding or open a ticket with FM Information Technology to request additional software to be installed for existing employees.

Depending on cost, new software procurement for a FM unit may be required to be paid from the FM units budget until the following fiscal year when the software cost can be built into the FM Information Technology budget.

All software purchases require approval from the IT Manager prior to being submitted to Finance for procurement.  

Software Renewal

All software or web-based applications purchased through FM Information Technology will be tracked and renewed until the software is no longer required. Please note that it is the responsibility of each FM section to notify FM Information Technology of changes to the number of licenses required by their section. Unless otherwise notified, FM Information Technology will renew software at the previous fiscal year levels. Any software purchased outside of the policies in this document will not be tracked or renewed by FM Information Technology.

All software renewals require approval from the IT Manager prior to being submitted to Finance for procurement.  

Software Support/Maintenance

During the software procurement process, FM Information Technology will also purchase support and/or maintenance contracts available to ensure proper support and troubleshooting resources. All support and/or maintenance contracts for software with a presence on the Facilities Management network will be purchased and renewed by FM Information Technology.

All software support and maintenance contracts require approval from the IT Manager prior to being submitted to Finance for procurement.  

Equipment and Supplies for Teleworking

Under the current CSU telework policy, CSU will not reimburse employees for the cost of off-site related expenses such as telecommunications equipment, internet services, furniture, printers, insurance, utilities, or other costs incurred by the employee. Employees must have and maintain the necessary personal and CSU-issued equipment needed to perform job duties. Please note that personal devices should not be used to access the CSU network. Any employment related equipment used for teleworking that is not purchased through FM Information Technology in violation of the policies in this document will not be eligible for support, replacement, refresh, or renewal. Generally, out-of-pocket expenses for supplies will not be reimbursed. Any exceptions must be approved by the employee’s supervisor prior to purchase.

NOTE: It is the recommendation of FM Information Technology that all new users and existing users are setup with laptops that enable teleworking without additional equipment, to reduce duplicate equipment and user support/security issues that arise with using some form of remote desktop to access a desktop computer in a CSU building.