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CIO Update for the week of Mar. 9

The winter is finally behind us. Our northern campuses will not have to close down their campuses for ice/snow for the rest of 2015. At least that is what the long-range forecasts tell us! In looking at the calendar for the week of March 9th, the following items of general interest are worth commenting on:

News

New

  • The issue of contracting is on the horizon and moving in our direction. TAMUS has been asked by both Sen. Nelson’s and the Governor’s office to discuss the topic with them. It will afford us an opportunity to hear their concerns re: no-bid contracts, and give us an opportunity to justify the best value language that is granted to higher education (Education Code 51.9335). Before we have a discussion, we need the context surrounding no-bid contracts. TAMUS has requested that several Members (TAMU, TAMUC, TAMUCC, TAMUCT, HSC, AgriLife Research, and TVMDL) pull contracts that have not been competitively bid beginning at $100k+. They are then to break up the data sets in buckets — $100k-$499k, $500k-$999,999, $1m-$5m, and $5+. TAMUS is also requesting that that these Members provide the total contracts bid for these respective dollar amounts, so we can see the percentage that have not been competitively bid. Thirdly, TAMUS is requesting that the Members note those that are cooperative contracts. This information will be used as a framework for a discussion this week in Austin.

  • On Wednesday, February 18, the DIR Board adopted revisions to Texas Administrative Code §202. This step in the process brings to an end an 18 month rule review and drafting process. While DIR has the responsibility for TAC 202, this rule is the product of a committee of agency, public institutions of higher education, and private sector partners. Without the perspectives, knowledge, and experience of the SISAC Policy subcommittee, DIR would not have such a solid rule.

System-Wide Contracting News

New

  • ViewFinity has proposed a new System-wide agreement. Note that the pricing has not changed but the minimum number of licenses has been eliminated.ViewFinity is willing to roll all existing licenses into a new three-year agreement. The System currently owns approximately 5,000 licenses. Several Members have expressed interest in expanding the number of their licenses. ViewFinity invites any interested Member to the following webcast:

    When: Thursday, March 12, 2015 2:00 PM-3:00 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada).Here are the demo log in details for next week. We can change the time as well if something else works better for your team.

    1. Please join my meeting: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/579327461
    1. Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) – a headset is recommended. Or, call in using your telephone.
    Dial +1 (872) 240-3312
    Access Code: 579-327-461
    Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting
    Meeting ID: 579-327-461

In Process

  • Answers have been provided to potential respondents for the RFP to provide a common FOIA/Open Records System for TAMUS and its Members.

  • The System Office is working with Procurement to develop a statement of work related a System-wide contract for contract management services.

  • Work continues on the RFP for Banner Services.

  • The Digital COE Committee has finalized its mobile application requirements for the Statement of Work that will be attached to the Mobile Development/Support RFP.

  • Texas A&M IT is beginning a search for a new enterprise project and portfolio management tool to implement within Texas A&M IT and offer as a shared service. If you are interested in participating in this process, please contact PMO@tamu.edu.

Repeats

  • Siteimprove checks web pages, every five days, for spelling, grammar, broken links, and accessibility. The cost is 54 cents per web page per year. Any Members interested in adding this service need to contact me directly.

  • The System-wide agreement with Cisco WebEx allows Members to purchase licenses for their entire faculty/administrators at the low cost of $1.44/month/license.

  • Syncplicity licensing is available for all Members.

Projects

New

  • The HR/Payroll Software Selection Committee provided its consolidated findings on demonstrations, site visits, and reference checks to the HR/Payroll Advisory Committee Members last week. Members were asked to give their recommendation to their CFO and HR officers and to contact members of the evaluation team with any questions. The evaluation team is drafting the final report for the Executive Steering Committee’s meeting on March 23, 2015. The Executive Steering Committee will make the decision on which vendor the System will begin negotiations with.

In Process

  • Utilities & Energy Services is working with Agrilife to serve as the pilot of Cisco EnergyWise.

SCIO Trips/Visits

  • Austin (March 12th)
  • South Texas (March 30 – April 1)