Software Review Process

Thank you for taking the time to read about requesting and purchasing software at Western. The purpose of this page is to educate our campus community on the processes that happen when a software purchase request is made.

Before your software request even makes it to Contracts and Purchasing, your request may be routed through some or all of the following for review:

• ATUS Software Services
• ATUS Learning Systems Team
• Information Security Office
• Accessibility Committee
• Enterprise Application Services
• Enterprise Infrastructure Services
• University Bookstore
• University Privacy Offices
• University Treasury Services

Each review takes time and suggestions might be made to use an existing product, to purchase an alternative product, to seek design, configuration and/or implementation guidance, to submit a request for formal project management, or to move forward with your purchase.

1. Check Western’s Existing Software Catalog

It is possible that Western already owns the product you wish to buy. Western may also have a product that provides very similar functionality. We ask that you first check our Available Software Catalog before moving forward with your request. The Software Catalog contains a list of pre-approved software.

If you find your product, or a similar product you wish to buy in the Software Catalog, fill out the Software License eSign Form. If you do not find your product, or a similar product, please proceed with the next steps.

2. Gather Information

We will be asking you to submit a Software Request Form with some information needed to begin the process. To successfully complete the form, you will want to:

• Identify a WWU business contact for your product. This person has budget authority for the purchase.
• Identify a WWU technical contact for installation and support. Please note that Information Technology Services (ITS) and departmental IT must agree to support your product if that is your expectation.
• Identify a WWU security contact for your product, if different from the technical contact. The security contact is responsible for:
  • Ensuring secure configuration of the product.
  • Tracking upgrades and security patches needed for the product.
  • Designing and maintaining access control. 
  • Working with the Information Security Office on any security reviews and mitigations that need to be implemented.
• Provide vendor contact information. A sales contact and technical contact is preferable.
• Provide an estimated cost for the product, the licensing type/structure, and the number of licenses you will need.
• Identify the funding source for your product.
• Research and identify if you will need any new hardware and identify the technical contact to support it (individual, departmental IT, ITS).
• Determine if your product requires authentication, identify the authentication mechanism. Note that a single sign-on (SSO) solution is preferable. The vendor can help you understand the authentication options.
• Identify any integrations your product will need with other University systems such as Banner, Canvas, OnBase, Cashnet, the data warehouse, etc.
• Obtain the vendor’s Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).

3. Fill Out the Western Software Request Form

After you have all your information, fill out the Software Request Form. The form will be routed to Software Services and they will determine next steps.

4. Wait for Evaluation

Software Central will determine the Western team that will review your request for software. If your request form is incomplete, they will contact you and help you understand what information still needs to be collected. After they have complete information and their evaluation is complete, they will contact you and discuss their findings. If the best option is to move forward with the purchase, the form will then be routed for the appropriate reviews. 

5. Wait for Reviews

After submission of the Software Request Form, your requested software will require reviews by several University departments.

• All new software will have an accessibility review to ensure compliance with University policy POL-U1600.07, Ensuring Accessible Information Technology.
• Any confidential data that the software is processing will be reviewed by a University privacy officer.
• Software storing, transmitting or accessing confidential data will have a security design review done by the University’s Information Security Office.
• Software requiring virtual or physical hardware will be reviewed by Enterprise Infrastructure Services (EIS). EIS also provides authentication configuration.
• Enterprise software or software with campus-wide implementations and/or integrations might require the support of the ITS Project Management Office (PMO). The PMO will need to scope the project and schedule the implementation.
• Software that can be classified as a textbook or learning materials may need approval and support from the University Bookstore.
• Software requiring integrations with Canvas will be evaluated by Academic Technology User Services (ATUS) Learning Systems. 
• If you want support from ATUS, the ATUS Desktop Support Services will evaluate your request.

6. Wait for Determination

Software Central will collect the findings from all the reviews, and determine any additional tasks that need completion prior to moving your request to Contracts and Procurement.

7. Perform Additional Tasks Required By Reviewers

The reviewers might request that you do some additional tasks. Some examples include asking the vendor for clarification on product functions or configuration, working with your technical team to provide some details on implementation, or having a dialog with the accessibility team on issues they identified. If your software purchase requires full project management, you will meet with the Project Management Office. Project Managers are in high demand and your implementation timeline could change to months or even years.

Note that the following tasks may delay the final determination by Software Central:

• There may be a request for you to collect additional information prior to routing to reviewers.
• Reviewers may request you collect additional information or answer additional questions.

After Software Central and Reviewers have determined it is acceptable to move forward with the purchase, you will have to enter your request in the Contract Management Module (CMM).

Contracts & Purchasing have their own timeline to complete their review (as seen in the graphic above). 

In addition, your purchase may require deployment via your departmental IT Support or ATUS IT Support. This can take up to 2 weeks or more, depending on the time of year and number of requests for deployment they are working on at the time.