About Contracts and Licensing
The ITaP Contracts and Licensing Group provides services associated with software licensing and computer-related contracts. These services are available to all Purdue departments as well as to ITaP. If departments wish to have us assist with their licensing situations, they may choose the level of our participation as they seek licensing agreements. A side-benefit of working closely with various other departments is a collection of knowledge about which products and services are being used or sought around the University. This results in recognition of cooperative purchasing opportunities.
Our services include:
- Contract Research
- Review and Negotiation of Terms and Conditions
- Price Negotiation
- Software Distribution
- License Tracking
- Renewal Notification
Contract Research: If your department needs software that might already be covered by a University site license or a volume discount agreement, we can research the existence of such an agreement. If we find an agreement, we'll provide the information you need to get the software.
Review and Negotiation of Terms and Conditions: Vendors typically have standard contracts for their products. Our staff can review these agreements and identify any wording that is not in the University’s best interest. We can then suggest more desirable phrasing and work with the University Contracting Group to negotiate a more favorable agreement with the vendor.
Price Negotiation: The first quote received from a vendor may not be the best possible one. From experience, we are familiar with many vendors and can collect quotes from several to see if a lower price is available. Additionally, if we’re aware of multiple departments seeking the same product or service, we can leverage that information to negotiate an even better price from vendors.
Software Distribution: Some site licenses require the University to distribute software through a central point. Where appropriate, we can perform this service as defined in the applicable agreements. We also can ensure that agreement terms are disseminated with the software.
License Tracking: If an agreement requires a report on who has received copies of a software product, we can do that tracking for you. As the number of users of the product approaches the number of licenses purchased, we will alert the department. Usage and distribution reports can be provided to the vendor as required.
Renewal Notification: Almost all vendor agreements have expiration dates and it is sometimes easy to forget when these need to be renewed or reviewed. We can track these dates and alert the appropriate persons when it is time to reconsider existing agreements.