SIM WORKING GROUP

ON

INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT

Charter Statement

Revised

July 12, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.CHARTER

II.EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

III.EXPECTED BENEFITS

IV.APPROACH

V.MEMBER ORGANIZATION CRITERIA

VI.GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

VII.CONFIDENTIALITY

VIII.IT PROCUREMENT WORKING GROUP MEMBERSHIP FEES:

IX.LEADERSHIP

X.INTERACTION WITH SIM

XI.FUNDING, BUDGETING AND PAYMENT OF EXPENSES

XII.MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES

XIII.SUNSET CLAUSE

SIM IT Procurement Working Group

  1. CHARTER

The charter of the Society for Information Management (SIM) Information Technology Procurement Working Group (ITPWG) is to improve IT acquisition management and execution. This is accomplished by:

  • Creating a forum to discuss and exchange strategies about opportunities related to IT procurement activities and responsibilities.
  • Providing a vehicle to enhance the competitiveness of commercial technology customers through informed procurement management.
  • Influencing legislation as it applies to technology acquisitions.
  • Fostering collaboration between different IT procurement stakeholders.
  1. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

Deliverables may include, but are not limited to:

  • Roundtable or learning forums on IT procurement issues including:
  • Contracting issues
  • Best practices for:
  • Software licensing
  • IT Outsourcing
  • IT Services (e.g., strategic consulting, systems implementation / integration)
  • Hardware
  • Telecom
  • IT Security
  • Cloud-based solutions (e.g., software as a service, third party hosting)
  • Relationships between IT technical experts, legal counsel and other professions involved in the IT procurement process
  • Legislative issues that impact IT stakeholders
  • Tools to assist with procuring IT hardware, software and services (e.g., check lists, standard contracts)
  1. EXPECTED BENEFITS

Participating members can expect to:

  • Build a network with IT procurement professionals
  • Develop expanded insight into procurement issues and solutions through collaboration with different professions participating in the IT procurement process
  • Learn practical solutions and know-how to enhance the procurement process which can have a direct impact on their organization’s IT costs
  • Learn strategies and methods to reduce risk and protect their organization
  • Develop standards by which to benchmark their IT procurement process
  • Develop creative solutions to costly procurement issues
  • Develop improved skills in the IT procurement process
  • Participate in highly focused working groups
  1. APPROACH

The ITPWG consists of participating member organizations, each consisting primarily of IT procurement specialists. The ITPWG will organize and coordinate communication platforms and in-person meetings to achieve the group’s charter. The agenda for in-person meetings will include, at a minimum, a roundtable discussion of attendees’ IT procurement initiatives and other topics as agreed upon by attendees at the prior meeting.

  1. MEMBER ORGANIZATION CRITERIA

The core membership of the ITPWG is comprised of information management, legal and procurement leaders who are committed to improving IT procurement practices. Successful member organization candidates who wish to join the ITPWG will meet the following criteria:

  • Organizations that have a commitment to improving IT procurement practices are invited to join and contribute.
  • Legal practices and consulting firms specializing in IT procurement. Consultant and legal practitioners are prohibited from marketing their services to the ITPWG. They are also prohibited from using the ITPWG roster, including email address information, for marketing purposes.
  • As a general rule, vendors of IT products and services (“IT Vendors”) are not eligible to participate in the ITPWG. However, IT Vendors who also have a distinct IT procurement function to which the IT Vendor belongs may submit a request to become an ITPWG member, subject to unanimous approval of the current member companies.

A prospective member organization’s request to participate in the ITPWG can be opposed by any current ITPWG member organization. However, a member organization may not oppose membership for a proposed member organization if the member organization has not attended a meeting in the past two years.

  1. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
  • Member organization participants should have at least two years experience in IT procurement, although many members are seasoned experts and recognized leaders in this field.
  • Member organizations are expected to actively participate and must be willing to contribute to the collective intelligence of the group.
  • Each participating organization will designate a primary contact. It is preferred that this individual be a member of the management team with accountability for IT procurement.
  • The primary contact could be a member of the organization’s information services, procurement or legal staff, depending how the organization’s IT procurement function is structured.
  • Primary contacts will be responsible for communications between their organizations and the ITPWG, as well as for involving their internal procurement colleagues in the ITPWG, as applicable.
  • SIM membership is encouraged, but not mandatory, for ITPWG membership.
  • Member organizations are expected to share the occasional responsibility of hosting meetings or arranging for facilities.
  • Hosting a meeting is voluntary. There is no requirement for any ITPWG member organization to host any meeting.
  • Meetings can be hosted in the city of the ITPWG member organization’s choosing, which can be at the member company’s facility or elsewhere. For example, some winter meetings have been hosted in Florida locations, even though the hosting member company was located elsewhere.
  1. CONFIDENTIALITY
  • In order to encourage and foster open and candid discussion within the ITPWG, it is the group’s policy that members must not share any information obtained from another ITPWG member outside of their organization. Information provided by ITPWG member(s) may be shared internally within each member’s organization, but is not to be disclosed to anyone who is not a member of the ITPWG. ITPWG members should take necessary precautions to ensure their organizations are aware of and adhere to this requirement.
  • Because negotiated prices are particularly sensitive, and could expose a member company to unlimited liability if divulged, ITPWG members are strongly encouraged to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to their individual organization’s negotiated commercial terms.
  1. IT PROCUREMENT WORKING GROUP MEMBERSHIP FEES:
  • The following membership fees will apply to members of the ITPWG. These fees are exclusive of SIM membership fees:
  • Individual membership - $250
  • Corporate membership - $500
  • Corporate members may have an unlimited number of individuals participate.
  • The annual fee is waived for the following:
  • Chairperson
  • Co-Chairperson
  • Treasurer
  • The annual membership fee will be waived for two years for a company that hosts a meeting for the group. Unless otherwise requested by the member company, these fees will be waived starting in the calendar year following the year in which the meeting was hosted.
  • A member company will have its membership suspended, and will be removed from the roster, if such member company does not pay its annual dues by March 31 in a given calendar year.
  • An individual or corporation may be designated a “Member in Transition”, which is defined as a) a current individual member who is no longer employed by their company and is subsequently between jobs, or b) a current corporate member whose economic situation precludes them from paying membership fees. A current member may request to be designated as a Member in Transition. Such request must be approved by the ITPWG member companies whose dues have been received. If approved, a Member in Transition will have their membership fee waived for the current calendar year. For the subsequent calendar year, a Member in Transition will be required to pay dues in order to continue their membership with the ITPWG.
  • Members in Transition will be allowed limited participation in the ITPWG as follows:
  • A Member in Transition may continue to fully participate in the ITPWG during the calendar year in which their membership fee has been paid. In the following calendar year, a Member in Transition may continue their participation, but will not be allowed to attend any hosted meetings.
  • If a member, who has been designated as a Member in Transition becomes employed by a non-ITPWG member company, their Member in Transition status will end immediately. If such member would like to continue their participation, then they must follow the membership process and submit a request to join the ITPWG.
  1. LEADERSHIP

The ITPWG will be led by:

  • A chairperson who will:
  • Head the overall ITPWG and serve as the group's driving force and leader
  • Report the ITPWG activities to the SIM CEO or the CEO’s designate.
  • Respond to inquiries from prospective member companies
  • Communicate to member companies about requests from prospective members
  • A co-chairperson who will assist and work together with the Chairperson
  • A treasurer who will be responsible to:
  • Communicate information on membership costs and payment timing to current members
  • Coordinate with SIM to monitor annual dues payment obligations by member companies
  • Annually present the financial state of the group to the chairperson, co-chairperson and member companies
  • Ensure the ITPWG has a balanced budget
  • Track dues payments received and update the chairperson and co-chairperson
  • Arrange reimbursement for out-of-pocket pre-authorized expenses incurred to host ITPWG meetings
  • Coordinate honorarium payment and expense reimbursement, in conformance with the group’s policies, for guest speakers
  • Leadership selection and term is as follows:
  • The ITPWG chairperson, co-chairperson and treasurer will be selected and approved by a simple majority of ITPWG members ITPWG.
  • The chairperson, co-chairperson and treasurer agree to each serve for a two year commitment.
  1. INTERACTION WITH SIM

A representative from SIM will serve as a liaison between the ITPWG and SIM to assist in supporting ITPWG activities, as needed, that will include:

  • Accounting and tracking of dues payment
  • Membership reporting
  1. FUNDING, BUDGETING AND PAYMENT OF EXPENSES
  • Funding

It is the ITPWG’s objective to be self-funding. This will be achieved through membership fees. Any projects will be structured to be self-funding. In addition, members will be asked to contribute time, experience and use of their facilities in the common interest of the ITPWG.

  • Expenses
  • The ITPWG may pay for the following expenses from dues paid by member organizations:
  • Facilitators to conduct forums, roundtables and special meetings.
  • ITPWG meetings which cannot be facilitated through sponsorship. (NOTE: This does not include travel and accommodations for participants.)
  • Certain expenses for meeting accommodations provided that the hosting company would otherwise not be able to host a given meeting.
  • The following expenses will not be paid from ITPWG funds, and members will be asked to provide their own funding for:
  • Any expenses incurred to participate in the ITPWG.
  • Travel to and from meetings, accommodations and meals.
  • Participation fees for special events (such as roundtables and forums) which will be used to cover the cost of the facilities.
  • Expense reimbursement for any guest speakers will conform to the following:
  • The maximum guest speaker reimbursement will be $2,000, inclusive of any honorarium and travel expenses as further described below. Payment above this amount will require approval by a simple majority of member companies.
  • The lodging cap will be the negotiated rate (i.e., the amount paid by ITPWG member companies). Whichever member company coordinates arrangements with the speaker will be expected to communicate information about the lodging property, the negotiated rate, and how to obtain the discounted price.
  • The daily meal cap will be $100.
  • Reimbursement for alcoholic beverages is included as part of the daily meal cap.
  • The speaker will be financially responsible for any charges exceeding the above limitations.
  • Member Education
  • Up to $5,000 will be allocated annually to fund one of the following:
  • One training event to be delivered in conjunction with a group meeting
  • One external benchmark to be purchased or conducted by a third-party expert
  • For a training or benchmark cost that would exceed $5,000, the ITPWG board (Chairperson(s) and Treasurer) will be responsible for documenting the anticipated benefits of the training or benchmark. This information will then be sent to each member organization’s primary contact for consideration and approval (or rejection) by a simple majority of member companies.
  • The reimbursement policy for any related travel and living expenses will be the same as for guest speakers.
  • Hosting
  • Members will be asked to host group meetings on a rotating basis.
  • Up to $2,000 per meeting will be available to the host company to offset catering and meeting expenses.
  • A host company’s membership fee will be waived as described in Section VIII.
  1. MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES
  • Bring a Guest Company
  • A member organization may bring one IT procurement colleague from a non-member organization (a “Guest Company”) to one meeting per year.
  • A particular Guest Company can attend an ITPWG meeting once every five years.
  • Except for being given time to speak during roundtable discussions, a Guest Company may participate in all aspects of a meeting.
  • The number of Guest Companies will be limited to no more than five per meeting.
  • To bring a Guest Company to a meeting:
  • After receiving a final meeting agenda from the host company, a member organization can contact the meeting host to nominate a Guest Company. A nomination must be received by the host company no less than three weeks before the first day of the upcoming meeting.
  • The host company will distribute the list of nominated Guest Company(ies) (listed in the order which they were nominated) to the lead contact for each ITPWG member organization.
  • Member organization lead contacts will have one week after receiving the list of nominated Guest Company(ies) to veto a nomination. One veto is sufficient to deny a Guest Company from participating.
  • The first five Guest Companies on the list to not be vetoed will be invited to the meeting by their sponsoring member organization.
  • Bring an IT Colleague
  • Each member organization may bring one IT colleague to one ITPWG meeting per year.
  • The IT colleague must have expertise or a clear interest in at least one of the meeting’s main agenda topics.
  • Except for being given time to speak during roundtable discussions, an IT colleague may participate in all aspects of a meeting.
  • For each meeting, up to five member companies may bring one IT colleague.
  • To bring an IT colleague to a meeting:
  • After receiving a final meeting agenda from the host company, a member organization can contact the meeting host to reserve one of for the five available IT colleague slots.
  • Slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis, determined by when the host company receives a “reservation” request.
  1. SUNSET CLAUSE

The ITPWG will exist in its current form until such time as the active membership determines that there is no longer sufficient support and participation for the group to continue meeting this Charter Statement and votes to disband.

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