Commonwealth Office of Technology

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Strategic Alliance Services (SAS)

The Finance and Administration Cabinet has established Strategic Alliance Services (SAS) contracts with five full Service Vendors and 14 niche vendors. These contracts allow eligible entities to obtain deliverables-based IT project services such as project planning, project design, project review and project implementation through these contracts.

The Strategic Alliance establishes long term vendor relationships for procuring 'best practice' and 'best of the industry' information technology (IT) services to pro-actively meet Commonwealth service delivery and business needs. Such arrangements are executed in a streamlined, mutually responsive and shared risk environment where Commonwealth agencies and service providers partner to achieve and share in resulting benefits.

Contact Information Stephanie R. Williams SAS Contract Administrator stephanier.williams@ky.gov (502) 564-4510

General Questions Tommy Case EPMO Staff (502) 564-1250

Additional information about Strategic Alliance Services (SAS)

What is the "Strategic Alliance?"

• The Strategic Alliance is a state price contract with 19 IT service providers (5 full-service and 14 niche vendors) that allows Commonwealth agencies to procure IT services more quickly and competitively from expert providers.
• Other state, local government and educational agencies may also use this contract.

What are the benefits of the Strategic Alliance Services?

• A long-term relationship between the Commonwealth and industry leading IT service providers that have extensive experience, expertise and resources to apply to your business problem.
• A procurement process that integrates "best practices" and "best of the industry" to meet Commonwealth service delivery and business needs.
• A procurement process that is less prescriptive than the traditional RFP process. The new process allows vendors the freedom to propose creative solutions for your business needs.
• Opportunities to engage providers in a variety of funding and risk sharing approaches.
• Niches and partnerships/subcontracts that allow access to expertise in your agency’s service category within an adequate response time.

When to use the SAS Contracts:

• Any time you would have used an RFP in the past
• When considering major enhancements or modifications to an existing system
• Any time you need Project-oriented IT services (life cycle development, integration, quality assurance for a development project already underway, support for a system already in place, to outsource non-strategic responsibilities so that you can re-direct staff to more strategic efforts, assessment of current environment, etc.)

When not to use SAS:

• When a procurement is primarily hardware or software
• Task-based hourly services

What if SAS is not a good solution for my business problem?

• Request a waiver from the CIO
• Special circumstances – sole source or emergency situations (letter of justification/explanation to the Office of Materials and Procurement Services through the CIO)

Additional Resources

• SAS Process and Template
• SAS Vendor List
• SASR for ITSM Service Desk Software - COT (example)