1.0 Purpose

Many projects require items or services that cannot be provided from within the organization. In these cases it is necessary for the project team to procure the necessary items or services required to successfully complete the project. This section should provide a high-level explanation of purpose of the Procurement Management Plan. Generally, the purpose of the Procurement Management Plan is to define what items will be procured for the project and how vendors will be identified, selected, and managed. Additionally, the plan should outline roles and responsibilities relating to procurement as well as any contract requirements which must be met.

The purpose of the Procurement Management Plan is to define procurement parameters for the Software Upgrade Project in order to ensure its successful completion. Procurement is a deliberate process which involves many internal departments as well as external vendors. This Procurement Management Plan has been created to provide a framework in which all procurement actions will be managed across all of the organizations involved.

2.0 Procurement Roles and Responsibilities

This section describes the roles and responsibilities of all key project personnel as they relate to procurement actions. These roles must be clear to prevent any gaps or overlap in project procurement actions. Additionally, roles and responsibilities help establish accountability throughout the project’s lifecycle.

To facilitate effective procurement management, the following roles and responsibilities have been established for all procurement actions for the Software Upgrade Program:

Role Responsibilities Project Sponsor Approve Procurement Management Plan Approve vendor selection Approve all contracts prior to award Approve any procurement action in excess of $50,000 Project manager Provide oversight for all procurement actions Approve procurement actions under $50,000 Develop procurement requirements Manage vendor selection process Measure vendor performance Closing out vendor contracts Contracting Department Director Assist procurement actions by submitting requests for proposal (RFPs) to identified vendors Develop vendor contract Assist in measuring vendor performance Information Technology (IT) Director Assist in vendor identification and selection Assist in development of procurement requirements Project team Assist in development of procurement requirements Assist in evaluating vendors

3.0 Procurement Requirements

This section should list the items that need to be procured for the project to succeed. In addition to describing what the item is, this list should also provide a justification or an explanation of what deliverable the item supports, as well as the date the item is required by to meet the project schedule.

There are several items which must be procured in order to successfully complete the Software Upgrade Project. The following list has been created to indicate the necessary items, the deliverable each item supports, and the date the item is required to meet the deliverable in accordance with the project schedule:

Procurement Needed Deliverable(s) Supported Required Delivery Date 2 Omega Workstations Complete IT Lab testing configuration  07/15/2010 Software Version 4.0 package with 65 licenses Complete Lab testing of software integration and Install software upgrade on all workstations  09/01/2010 Expo Router Complete LAN upgrade to host new software  09/01/2010

4.0 Vendor Identification and Selection

This section should discuss the process by which vendors are identified and selected to fulfill procurement requirements. There may be one or more vendors that an organization prefers to work with based on past experience. There may be new vendors who offer better products more applicable to the project. However, it is necessary to define this identification and selection process to ensure consistency throughout the project lifecycle for all procurement actions.

This section outlines the process through which vendors will be identified and selected to fulfill the procurement requirements for the Software Upgrade Project. The project team will identify vendors based on which existing and new vendors are able to meet the procurement requirements outlined above. Once potential vendors are identified, the project manager will work with the Contracting Manager to develop RFPs to distribute to vendors to bid on.

Once the contracting group receives all vendor proposals, the Contracting Manager, Project Manager/Team, IT Director, and Project Sponsor will meet to evaluate proposals. The group will use the following selection criteria to make their vendor selection:

• Vendor most capable of meeting required delivery dates for procurement requirements
• Past performance of the vendor (if applicable)
• Cost of procurement items
• Quality assurance measures

Once the vendor(s) has/have been selected and approved by the Project Sponsor, the Project Manager will work with the Contracting Department Director, or designated representative, to draft and finalize the necessary contract(s) with the vendor(s). Once all contracts are complete, the Project Manager will begin the vendor management phase of the procurement process.

5.0 Vendor Management

Vendor management is a very important, though often overlooked portion of the procurement management process. The ability of a vendor to meet procurement and contract requirements may weigh heavily in the organization’s decision to conduct business with them in the future. A vendor which has repeatedly met requirements in a timely manner and with a fair price may retain the business of an organization for many years. Conversely, vendors which miss deadlines and fail to meet requirements may no longer be considered in future procurement activities. It is inherent to the organization to work with the vendor in managing the delivery and fulfillment of their requirements in order to ensure the successful completion of the project.

The Project Manager is responsible for vendor management and will work with the Contracting Department Director to oversee vendor performance for the Software Upgrade Project. The Project Manager will measure the ongoing performance of each selected vendor as it applies to the requirements stated in their respective contracts. In order to ensure acceptable vendor performance, service level agreements (SLAs) will be included in the contracts which must be met by the vendors. SLAs for vendor performance include:

• Delivery of item(s) on or before date as agreed upon in the contract
• Delivery of item(s) at or below cost as agreed upon in the contract
• Acceptable performance/quality of item as agreed upon in the contract

Failure of a vendor to adhere to these SLAs will result in the Contracting Department submitting a formal dispute as appropriate.

6.0 Contract Requirements

It is important to specify the type(s) of contract(s) to be used for a project’s procurement actions. This section describes the contract type to be used and provides any other necessary detail regarding the contract process for the project’s procurement requirements.

All contracts associated with the Software Upgrade Project will be firm-fixed price. The Contracting Department Director is responsible for ensuring that each contract complies with internal corporate guidelines and policies. The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring all SLAs and performance criteria and expectations are clearly listed in the contract(s) prior to award. The Project Sponsor will review and approve all contracts prior to award.

7.0 Approvals

All project and management plans must have the approval of the Project Sponsor and Project Manager. The signatures of these individuals indicate their acknowledgement and understanding of the Procurement Management Plan.

The signatures of the people below indicate an understanding in the purpose and content of this document by those signing it. By signing this document you agree to this as the formal Procurement Management Plan for the Software Upgrade Project.

Approver Name Title Signature Date Doe, J. COO     Jones, T. Project Manager