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CC Owned Equipment

So that College-owned computers are updated and in good working order, ITS recommends 3-5 year lifecycles for all computers and 5-6 year lifecycles for peripherals like printers and scanners. All College-owned IT equipment should be purchased through ITS. Please contact Linda Petro (x6250) if you have questions about purchasing.

How to Buy a Computer

Regular process (capital equipment)

  • The majority of computers are bought through the capital equipment request process - in the late fall, a representative from IT will offer to consult with all departments to recommend and discuss what you should ask for.
    • Note that the capital equipment committee will provide one computer per employee.  Additional computers can be purchased (and must be replaced from) alternate funding sources such as research accounts.
  • Based on those recommendations, someone from your department (usually the director or chair) will enter in the specific requests.
  • The capital equipment committee reviews all requests and, if necessary, decides which items not to fund - their responsibility is to not overspend the capital equipment budget, and do their best to fund all reasonable requests according to their guidelines.
  • The approved items are posted in Spring, and ITS will process the purchase of those approved items shortly after July 1st each year.

Contingency (capital equipment)

  • The capital equipment committee also has a contingency budget for items which need to be purchased out of the regular cycle.  Examples include stolen computers, computers which fail and are out of warranty, or computers which are so problematic that it does not make sense to wait until the big order in July.
  • Requests for contingency are handled on a case by case basis according to funds available.  To make a request, you should write to Lyrae.Williams@ColoradoCollege.edu

How to buy peripherals, software, or other technology items

Other items (such as small printers, monitors, wireless mice, software, etc.) do not go through the capital equipment committee, and you can consult with your Academic Technology Services liaison (faculty departments) or the Help Desk (admin departments), or just directly contact Judy Erickson at x6250 and we will place the order on your behalf.

Inventory Growth and Non-Standard Equipment

The purchase price of every new computer added to the College’s inventory represents only approximately 1/4 of the total cost of owning that equipment. In terms of total cost of ownership (TCO), computers themselves are only “the tip of the iceberg,” since the biggest costs of technology are wrapped up in network infrastructure and IT support, as well as associated costs in software licensing, electricity, training, recycling, etc. Additionally, different brands and types of computers and peripherals use different parts, have different warranties, require different software (drivers, mostly) and interact differently with other IT equipment. While those differences are by no means impossible to support, they require a great deal more time from IT staff. Just setting up a nonstandard computer can take five times as long as a standard system. Unless IT response expectations are relaxed, having more nonstandard systems means ITS needs more support personnel. The College can save time and money by ordering standard systems whenever possible.

To address these issues, in January 2004, President Celeste endorsed the Sustainable Computing Policy, a plan drafted by the Information Technology Policy Board to sustainably manage and support information technology needs at Colorado College. A central part of that policy addresses computer and peripheral (printers, scanners) purchasing and support. Given that the College’s computer inventory has nearly doubled in the last four years and that buying similar (“standard”) computers leverages pricing and support, the policy places some controls on inventory growth and buying non-standard computers and peripherals.