As we conclude Fiscal Year 2024, the University of Rhode Island’s IT Contract Review team proudly reflects on a productive year. We meticulously reviewed over 288 IT contracts, ensuring alignment with state and university purchasing regulations, insurance requirements, and IT policies.

In November, the Vice President of Administration and Finance released updated guidelines clarifying the contract review and approval process. In response, the IT Contract Review site was updated to reflect this simplified process, making it more user-friendly and efficient.

We also launched a new resource for ITS faculty and staff looking to procure IT products by providing the long list of applications which have already been through a security review. This new resource allows IT owners to quickly identify vetted and approved products by IT security, streamlining the contract review process.

We welcomed Associate General Counsel Leah Zaborski as our new IT liaison in the Office of General Counsel (OGC). Additionally, we’ve collaborated with the Office of Enterprise Risk Management and their new IT liaison, Daniel Keating, to establish business rules and criteria that simplify the identification and reusability of IT insurance determinations and requirements.

This year, the IT Contract Manager has been working closely with the Strategic Procurement team on the rollout of RhodyBuy, our new eProcurement system powered by Jaggaer. RhodyBuy will centralize contract lifecycle management, offering enhanced visibility, tracking, and efficiency.

Looking ahead to FY 2025, we are eager to continue our efforts and collaborate with IT owners across the university to provide cutting-edge IT services and products. We are also focusing on onboarding AI and managing the new legal requirements tied to those contracts.

We hope everyone enjoys their summer and looks forward to another successful year!