Global Best Practice - Information Technology (IT) Procurement: No. 4 Information Technology (IT) - SERVICES: NON-PROFESSIONAL, SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE, CLOUD

This last practice in the information technology (IT) procurement series focuses on IT services, specifically non-professional, cloud, and support and maintenance IT services. When procuring IT services, procurement professionals often need to work with consultants who have a very narrow field of interest, such as disaster recovery, cyber security, telecommunications, IT efficiency, and software specific enhancements. To effectively communicate with IT service providers, the procurement professional should have at least a minimal level of expertise in IT procurement so that the services or expertise being procured meet the needs of the organization and that the evaluation committee includes someone who has the appropriate level of IT expertise. This practice identifies important elements that procurement professionals need to understand when procuring IT services, including knowledge transfer, security protocols and restrictions, cyber security considerations (especially at points in which data is being accessed or transferred), supplier qualifications, and disaster recovery plans. The procurement professional should take all reasonable steps to protect the entity's data at all stages of the procurement process.