Technology Purchasing Policy

According to College guidelines, all computer hardware (laptop/desktop workstations, monitors, printer, etc.) and software purchasing should be processed through LITS.  College credit cards should never be used for technology purchases – please contact the Controller’s office with questions about appropriate usage of credit cards.  All software and equipment purchased via College budgets (including grants and research funds) is considered to be property of the College.

The easiest way to get started is by contacting the Help Desk (x7440, help@brynmawr.edu). 

• If you know what you want, you can request that a certain item or items be purchased on your behalf, or that pricing be provided to you.  Be sure to include your budget number for the purchase (and be sure to secure the prior approval of the budget's administrator if the budget isn't yours).
• Request a consult to explore routine hardware or software purchasing options or for guidance on more complicated software or online/cloud platforms you or your department have interest in implementing. 

LITS is unable to move forward with a purchase without valid College budget information and cannot accept personal funds toward equipment purchases.  Partnerships with LITS on larger-scale implementations may require a project proposal so we can review and make sure necessary resources are available to assist.  Early outreach for initial consultations will put us in the best position to identify and agree on next steps towards even the most complicated technology purchasing goals.

Equipment Purchasing

Please be aware that while LITS can purchase a wide variety of hardware and software, not all will be equally supported.  Please reach out if you are unsure about the support of the item(s) you have identified.  The hardware identified on each year's standard computers list are always a fully supportable option if you are looking to purchase new or replacement workstations.

When there is an option to purchase “professional” or “enterprise” equipment, we will typically encourage (or occasionally require) this, both for supportability and longevity.  We also require the purchase of whatever extended warranty is available with next-day on-site service whenever possible, including accidental damage protection for laptops and tablet devices.

LITS may be able to expedite urgent purchase requests but we do expect to purchase and receive equipment to make sure all college-owned equipment is logged into LITS-managed inventory.  Please allow sufficient turnaround time for purchase requests whenever possible.  Understand that budgets are charged when equipment orders arrive, not when the order is placed.  Rule of thumb should be that purchases meant to come out of the current fiscal year budgets should be placed prior to May 1.  LITS is unable to charge back to the previous year’s budget for any equipment received after May 31.

Limited Exceptions

Small, plug and play peripherals like mice, keyboards, and webcams, do not need to go through LITS, but please reach out for guidance if you are unsure.  LITS will gladly assist with the order/delivery/setup, but so long as these purchases go through E-Market, it can be more conveniently ordered through your department or Administrative Assistant for direct delivery.  Accessories like cases and travel bags do not need to be purchased through LITS. 

LITS understands that scientific equipment such as microscopes (specific-use “appliances”) are often bundled with computing workstations required for their operation.  These types of purchases will need to be understood if they are to be connected to networked resources, but otherwise seen as exceptional departmental purchases. LITS will prefer to be consulted on purchasing a Dell equivalent workstation that meets operational requirements for such equipment, if that is an option to be explored.

Equipment Replacement and Repair

Generally speaking, any equipment not funded by the LITS replacement fund is the fiscal responsibility of the department or individual who ordered it.  This means that when it's time to replace that equipment, funds will need to be provided by a department, grant, or research fund.  Also, if repairs are needed for a grant-funded or department-funded device not covered by warranty, the department or individual will need to identify appropriate funding to cover repair costs.

LITS will initiate replacement actions for all LITS-funded devices – primary workstations assigned to full time faculty or staff that are replaced according to our 4-year device replacement cycle as well as public machines in libraries or kiosk computers in various campus locations. 

For all other college-owned workstations (secondary, research, or shared departmental devices asset-tagged with YY-XXXX stickers), the users or departments are expected to reach out to LITS to consult on replacement actions.  LITS sends out inventory review spreadsheets each spring to all departments for identifying devices that should be replaced or retired.  Please reach out to LITS if you have any questions about initiating device replacement/disposal actions for departmental assets.

Software Purchasing and Upgrades

Standalone software purchases, historically arriving with install media and perpetual license keys, have nearly ceased to exist in our subscription-based, cloud-hosted, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) age.  Please contact LITS if you are using standalone software packages that require upgrades to be purchased.

“Cloud” or “Hosted” Software/Software-as-a-Service

If you are using an outside service for College business, you must abide by both the Data Handling Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.  Additionally, these platforms all have legal terms and privacy policies that govern your use of their functionality.  Even free-to-use services will have click-through agreements that should be reviewed prior to use.  Terms of service governing LITS-supported software has been reviewed in partnership with College Counsel to understand and mitigate data security risks.  But for other platforms or services you are exploring or comparing, please review their legal terms closely to understand how they would protect college data or activities.  When you are ready to take action on purchasing a subscription or entering a contractual agreement, please contact LITS and/or College Counsel for a more formal review to identify and mitigate potential security/privacy risks.

Personal Purchases and Technology Disposal

While LITS does maintain a list of discounts and free-to-use software, LITS cannot facilitate purchase of privately-owned equipment.  Additionally, we cannot sell used college equipment at the end of their supportable lifespan.  LITS contracts with a vendor for environmentally appropriate disposal of all college-owned equipment.  Please reach out to LITS with any technology disposal issues and we can help navigate that process.