IT Acquisition

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) guides and manages the Department’s effective use of information technology (IT) and IT resources. When acquiring IT solutions, the CIO seeks to integrate project, financial, and acquisition management, and quality oversight methods into a cohesive process to achieve program goals.

• The Acquisition Management Division uses a variety of IT acquisition solutions, managed in an integrated fashion to deliver the most cost effective and efficient use of resources.
• The Office of IT Corporate Management oversees business and information management (IM) activities for the OCIO, and manages the Department's IT acquisition process in accordance with Federal and Departmental Acquisition Regulations.

The Office of the CIO (OCIO) review and approval process applies to any IT contract action, whether the principal purpose of the contract action is for the acquisition of IT or for some other stated purpose, but that purpose requires acquisition of IT.  This process applies regardless of dollar value where the IT asset or service is to be:

• acquired by new contract or new agreement;

• acquired via modification to an existing contract or existing agreement, when such IT has not already been previously agreed to and negotiated between the parties; and

• purchased on a purchase card that cannot be acquired through an established Program/Site/Office process.

All Departmental elements must submit the following for consideration:

• Acquisition Plan/Strategy, when required by the Office of Management
• IT Acquisition Approval Package
  • Memorandum to CIO requesting approval of IT acquisition
  • Completed IT Acquisition Request Form

Instructions   |   Memo to CIO   |   IT Acquisition Request Form

Consolidated IT service delivery to the Department is achieved primarily through the Information Technology Support Services (ITSS) contract, which provides an enterprise solution for information management and technology.

The ITSS contract allows the CIO to respond to DOE'S information technology mission and customer needs in an integrated and coordinated manner while:

• maintaining the high quality of current programs
• providing needed additional future services
• limiting increases in costs or full-time equivalents

• Enterprise-Wide Agreements (EWAs) aggregate common requirements into a single, specific contract vehicle. Agreements can typically be used by all DOE organizations, thereby reducing administration and maintenance costs, as well as overall IT labor. EWAs support Federal Government IT initiatives and are aligned with industry best practices.
• DOE-wide contracts provide web conferencing and video conferencing services, as well as IT and telecommunication supplies, services, and repair. Interagency Agreements provide specialized services contracted for by other government agencies.
• Timesharing contracts support the Teleprocessing Services Program with selected commercial and resource sharing teleprocessing services.