The three state university IT groups communicate weekly about upcoming potential purchases and identify opportunities to work together. Virtually all IT-related purchases are being coordinated through the schools’ purchasing units.

The institutions agreed on standard PC/laptop configurations, and by buying in bulk were able to negotiate lower pricing through Dell. UI has purchased 1,925 devices through the standard agreement.

A standard process is in place for software procurement; the institutions contact each other when renewing or purchasing software and work with vendors if joint purchasing agreements are available.

More examples of procurement coordination across the schools include:

• Microsoft Campus Agreement
• Adobe license renewal
• DDI (network management solutions)
• Storage solutions and purchasing contracts
• Data Network solutions and purchasing contracts

The procurement project team has also been working on a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) subproject. They have reviewed information from consultants, along with cost estimates and models from Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa, and defined use cases. A report is underway.