Computer Equipment, Software and Services (CESS) Process

The purpose of Computer Equipment, Software and Services (CESS) approval is to review qualifying IT projects for risk assessment and compliance with Board of Regents policy. Items that are considered qualifying IT projects include hardware purchases, software licensing, third-party hosting, IT consulting services and more.

The purpose of Computer Equipment, Software and Services (CESS) approval is to review qualifying IT projects for risk assessment and compliance with Board of Regents policy. Items that are considered qualifying IT projects include hardware purchases, software licensing, third-party hosting, IT consulting services and more.

What items are considered an IT purchase? 

For the following types of items, you should submit a CESS request before purchasing:

• Hardware
  • Desktop/Laptop/Tablet computers
  • External hard drives
  • AV Equipment that is connected to the Internet 
  • Scanners
  • Network routers and equipment
  • Servers
  • "Smart" (IoT) devices - i.e. smart phones, smart TVs, smart refrigerators, AI Devices such as Alexa/Echo, etc.
• Software licensing, maintenance and subscriptions
• All third-party hosting or cloud vendor hosting 
• IT consulting contracts or services
• Stand-alone AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude. 

What types of purchase require Board of Regents approval? 

The following types of purchase require Board of Regents approval. NOTE: Approval from the Board of Regents generally takes an additional 10-15 business days, so please plan accordingly.

• IT purchases that exceed $500,000 in one Fiscal Year
• IT purchases that exceed $1 Million over the course of 5 Fiscal Years
• Special cases, regardless of cost (even $0 purchases):
  • Software that necessitates data integration (inbound, or bi-directional) with either on-premises, cloud-hosted, or USG-hosted ERP applications (finance, human capital management, student information, student CRM, or supplier management systems only).
  • Software or services that are duplicative of or are intended as a substitute for core business functions and shared services supported by on-premises, cloud-hosted, or USG-hosted ERP applications (finance, human capital management, student information, student CRM, or supplier management), whether they are hosted on-premises, cloud-hosted, or USG hosted.
  • Software or services duplicative of shared services either offered or supported by USG ITS, including network services.
  • Institution-wide software licenses covering more than 50 percent of an institution’s students, faculty, or staff

If the total cost of your IT project is $500K - $999K, or falls within the above guidelines for special cases: Fill out the Board of Regents Approval Questions Form and attach it to your CESS Approval Request cart in UGAmart.

If the total cost of your IT project is $1 million or more: Fill out the Board of Regents Business Case Template. The Board of Regents will make the determination after the initial submission if a business case is needed and will then request one. If you need assistance filling out the Business Case Template, please see the Business Case Guide.

In cases where a bulk purchase of commodity hardware exceeds the $1 million threshold, a business case will not be required.

Advance planning with the University System of Georgia Chief Information Officer(USG CIO) is encouraged in order to determine whether the requirement for a business case applies. The USG CIO normally reviews and responds to IT purchase requests the same day if the request is submitted by 10 a.m., and by the next business day for items submitted after 10 a.m.

Other IT policies to consider

• Purchases of technology-related goods and services should follow the relevant Business Process Management (BPM) procedures.
• Purchases for goods or services that are likely to significantly impact the wide area network bandwidth allocated to the institution should be carefully planned with the USG CIO.
• Externally approved, grant-funded technology purchases that do not interact with USG enterprise applications or USG enterprise networks may be approved by the institution president or designee for IT purchase.
• Institutions may not divide large purchases into smaller packages to avoid the need for USG approval. Individual purchases below these amounts but part of a larger initiative that will eventually exceed these amounts, shall also require written USG CIS approval (e.g., purchases of microcomputers for various lab locations on campus, even if the purchases are for different buildings and from multiple fund sources).
• If a revised cost estimate to a previously approved IT purchasing request increases by more than 10%, a new IT purchase approval must be obtained.

Contact Us

Email: cess-eits@uga.edu 

Phone: 706.542.6033