Quick Summary
This policy establishes IT procurement and contract signing requirements for the Department of Management (DOM).
Policy Number: ADMN.103.01.E
Policy Type: External
Authority: Iowa Code section 8.77
Effective Date: January 26, 2026
Review Date: January 25, 2027
1. Summary
The primary goals of Department of Management ("DOM") are to provide for the information technology needs of the agency and Supported Entities, to avoid any unnecessary administrative burden, and to ensure consistency in the delivery of information technology to the enterprise. With those goals in mind, DOM establishes the following procurement and signature policy for information technology procurements and contracts.
2. Who this Policy Applies to
This policy applies to DOM and Supported Entities.
3. Actions & Responsibilities
3.1. Price Comparison. When feasible, DOM and all Supported Entities must price compare before purchasing IT goods and services. When purchasing from IT master agreements, Supported Entities must obtain at least two quotes for IT goods or services to ensure price reasonableness whenever possible.
3.2. Formal Procurements. Formal solicitations are preferred for major systems to ensure that agencies conduct requirements gathering before making IT decisions and to guarantee price reasonableness through open competition.
3.3. DOM IT Contract Signature Policy.
a. The DOM Director signs all DOM contracts, all DOM IT master agreements, and all Supported Entity IT contracts valued at $1 million or more.
b. For Supported Entity IT contracts valued at less than $1 million, the DOM Director reserves the right to sign such contracts on behalf of the State. If the DOM Director does not elect to sign such a contract, the Supported Entity may sign the contract.
Comment: When the DOM Director signs an IT contract in support of a Supported Entity, the Supported Entity may co-sign the agreement as well, which ensures that the Supported Entity remains responsible for payment of contracted goods and services, retains authority over agency program policy and mission, and also coordinates with DOM to ensure success on IT infrastructure implementations. The Supported Entity remains responsible for its programs and business decisions, and DOM provides the IT support in furtherance of Supported Entity business needs.
c. DOM will negotiate, with the assistance of the Supported Entity, ancillary IT documents such as End User License Agreements.
d. The DOM Director signs all data security agreements on behalf of DOM and Supported Entities.
4. Questions and Exceptions
Anyone impacted by this policy may request clarification or seek an exception to this policy by submitting a request through the DOM IT Business Services unit.
5. Compliance and Enforcement
Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action consistent with human resources policy and contractual authority.
6. Document Ownership & Approval
Document Owner: DOM Legal
DOM Director Approval: 1/14/2026
Distribution Date:
Last Revision Date:
Supporting Documentation: N/A