Chargeback for Technology Support

Rate Sheets (7/14/20)

This information is provided as part of Service Level Agreements between ITS and specific departments.  The Ongoing Support Rate Sheet does not include hosting charges.  Ongoing Support Rate Sheet
Some service level agreements include data center hosting charges.  In those cases, the attached Data Center Hosting rates may apply.  Data Center Hosting Charges

Background Statement

Central funding allocated to ITS enables staffing and resources to support the technology used at the enterprise level for instructional, administrative, and communications needs. ITS also allocates internal resources to support instructional delivery technologies that are funded by individual academic departments or colleges outside of central funding allocated to ITS.

Historically, technologies used by academic and administrative departments for non-instructional purposes were supported in a decentralized fashion through a variety of methods: by a permanent staff member within a respective department (full or part-time responsibilities), by students and by outsourcing to external entities. The quality of this support was not consistent, and the approach was not efficient.

In 2004, it was proposed and approved to centralize support for departmental (non-enterprise) vendor-developed systems in ICIT. This effort was to be funded in the following way:

ITS reallocated and funded .5 FTE to provide appropriate coordination and project management, creating a position in ITS for Departmental System Technical Support.

Divisions began funding the new position as a portion of FTE commensurate with the amount of time spent on each Division’s project in a year. (Original proposal estimated 35% for Student Affairs, 5-10% for Finance and  Administrative Affairs and 5-10% for Alumni, remainder ICIT).

The experience of the following several years has confirmed that the demand for support of departmental systems exists and continues to grow. The agreement then transitioned from a temporary to a permanent status.

In 2006, the above referenced departmental support was expanded to include application development (PeopleSoft and web), web site design, and content management for PR units.

Responsibilities and Funding for Departmental Systems Support

Presently, two approaches exist in managing departmental systems support.

ITS both supports and funds the following services:
Coordination and Project Management: Includes meeting with the customers, participating in developing requirements and assessment of solutions, meeting with vendors, defining technology support, scheduling delivery, installation, testing, and other project tasks, assuring that vendors are fulfilling their obligation to the customers, developing SLAs and hosting agreements if necessary.

ITS supports and divisions (departments) fund the following:
Server administration (making sure that technology platform is set up securely, based on the standard configuration, and according to vendor recommendations (this includes appropriate power and cooling, back up and monitoring), that the operating system is updated regularly and that appropriate access to the system is provided).
Database installation and maintenance (SQL and Oracle)
System implementation and upgrades scheduled with the vendor
Web and PeopleSoft application development
Web site design, programming and content management
Troubleshooting and problem resolution

Process for Chargebacks

• ITS computes Annual distribution of charges based on the percent of actual hours spent during the first three quarters (July - March) as a portion of 900 work hours (1200 annually).
• In April, the hours of ITS support for departmental technology support are summarized for the first 9 months of the fiscal year.
• A report of actual hours as well as the unit’s share of 900 hours is provided to Division Heads.
• Division’s contributions are computed based on a $50,000 annual salary.
• Division heads are asked to provide org-codes for chargeback. It is up to each Division to decide whether to fund the Division’s share centrally or to allocate it to individual units within the Division.
• Once the org-codes are determined, ITS will issue PeachTree chargebacks.
• Provide estimates and seek approval for application development (PeopleSoft and Web) and Web site design, programming, and content management before the work commences.
• Provide a report of actual hours as well as the unit’s portion of total work to the Division Heads quarterly.

Departmental Systems Support

The responsibilities and processes outlined above provide an equitable solution for departmental systems support. This agreement enables divisions to utilize the systems that are unique to their area while ensuring security and compatibility with the campus infrastructure and providing professional support.

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Previous Rate Sheet from 01/10/2011 (PDF) »