Administrative Regulation 16.22

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION:   AR: 16.22 DATE APPROVED: January 12, 2016
SUBJECT: Purchase of Computer Software ORIGINATING DEPARTMENT: Systems Management

POLICY:

It is the intent of the Board of County Commissioners to establish budget and purchasing procedures that ensure the purchase and use of computer software conforms to current guidelines.

PROCEDURE:

  1. The reference to “software” in this section includes that stored on and operated from Systems Management equipment as well as any stored on third party equipment outside the control of Systems Management, referred to as “remotely hosted”.
  1. All software, maintenance and service level agreements must be reviewed, approved and purchased by Systems Management. Systems Management must approve additional licenses or upgrades purchased subsequent to the initial installation, or whenever there are changes in Terms and Conditions or the Service Level Agreements. Any attempt to purchase software by a Division using internal accounts, purchase orders, credit cards, office supply accounts, petty cash, leases, exchanges, or bundled with other purchased items or services is prohibited.
  2. Systems Management will review all software for compatibility with existing equipment and standards. Any software to be hosted on County servers and distributed through the wide area network must meet minimum standards and specifications for security, performance and infrastructure requirements. The software must be compatible with existing County resources already in place. Systems Management will not compromise security or performance standards in the event software is judged to be deficient or deemed to have a negative impact on
  3. Any major upgrades must be reviewed by Systems Management prior to installation to insure compatibility with existing Systems Management reserves the right to deny the installation of upgrades that will cause conflicts or strain network resources past planned limits.
  4. Hosted services or offsite storage must include a satisfactory Service Level Agreement defining the roles and responsibilities of the vendor, County minimum performance standards, guarantees by the Vendor and the penalties and remedies available to the County when those standards are not met.
  5. No software shall be installed without the knowledge of Systems Management, including demonstration or time limited software. This includes readers, viewers, browsers, calendars, tools, toolbars, email services, reporting software, software not yet available through retail channels, or any functionality not specifically approved by Systems Management. Systems Management reserves the right to terminate any software at any time. Systems Management may revoke the user network rights for any employee(s), with the concurrence of the County Administrator.
  6. Software must adhere to the standards, and protocols already in place. Systems Management is not obligated to enable or install equipment, operating systems, or diminish network security to accommodate new or upgraded software.
  7. When County data or content has been outsourced from the County to the Vendor in its entirety, the vendor will be required to adhere to all current and future requirements of Florida Statute 119 regarding the processing and custody of Public Records.

FOOTNOTES & REFERENCES TO RELATED AR’s: