Software Purchase Request

This form allows faculty and staff in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts to request software purchases and provide all necessary information for ITS and Procurement approvals. All requests are first reviewed by the relevant department and administrators. Please complete the form to the best of your knowledge.

Notice: If follow up information is needed, you may receive an email or request for a meeting with the CMDA's technical service provider, business manager(s), and/or administration.

About the Software Approval Process

LSU has a purchase approval process for digital media and software applications, content, and services to prevent unnecessary security risks and costs, as well as to ensure compliance with best accessibility standards. The first step in the process is to complete this form to the best of your ability. After the form is completed, the following will take place:

• The completed form is automatically routed to the departmental IT staff and department chair for approval.
• Upon departmental approval, the IT staff will submit the Project-Purchase Request form (generated by IT staff from the answers on this form) to LSU's Information Technology department. This office sends the request out to three separate committees for certain approvals:
  • Purchase Management Office (PMO) Approvals--Required for all digital purchases to ensure that the campus does not already have a license or to see if purchasing enterprise-level licensing is warranted and/or less expensive.
  • ITS Security Approvals--Required for all digital purchases to ensure that the software, digital content, or service does not present a threat to the LSU network, data systems, or other users.
  • Accessibility Approvals--Required for all digital purchases to ensure that any public-facing services are fully accessible and meet federal requirements for accessibility.
  • ITS Governance Board--Certain software purchase, especially those purchased for enterprise-level use, will require the ITS Governance Board approval. This is not needed for most software purchases.
• Once approved by all committees, an email will be sent to the IT staff and/or the requestor. This email stating full approval must be included amongst other documentation needed to complete the purchase.

Note that all three requirements must be approved by the distinct committees. Even if the request is for software that only one user will use, an accessibility exception form must be completed to get the necessary approvals for purchase. If the request does not have approvals for all of these requirements, the Procurement Office will not process payment for the software, content, or service.

Process Timeframe

The various approval committees have different schedules for their regular meetings. The ITS Security and ITS Purchase Management committees meet weekly on Wednesdays. The Accessibility committee meets every other week on Mondays. Once this form is completed, you should expect and allow for the following timeframes:

• Departmental approvals - 1 week minimum.
• ITS approvals - 2 week minimum.
• Procurement Office processing of purchase - 1 week minimum.

The process usually takes a minimum of 3-4 weeks for processing. The process may take longer if there is missing information. If there are extensive questions from any of the committees, responses to questions may not be reviewed until the next committee meeting, which means waiting another cycle for final approval. It is important to provide all necessary forms and as much information as possible to the committees to avoid any delays in the process.

If you have specific questions or concerns about the process, please contact your departmental IT staff. Once you have read and understand the above, please proceed to the next page to begin filling out the form.