Computer Purchase & Disposal Policy

Last updated: 1/9/2024

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline the process by which Miami Country Day School (MCDS) acquires and disposes of computers for faculty, staff, administrators, and labs. The goal of the policy is to ensure that each employee has a suitable computer to perform his/her assigned responsibilities while also providing judicious stewardship of school resources.

Scope

This policy applies to all full and part-time school employees and to the purchase of all laptop and desktop computers and tablet/mobile computing devices, regardless of the funding source. In the context of this policy, a “computer” is defined as a complete working computer system and may include laptops, desktops, tablets, monitors, power cables, chargers, keyboards, and mice.

Guidelines for Computer Purchases

All computer purchases must be made through the school’s Technology Infrastructure & Operations (TIO) department, adhering to MCDS’s computing standards at that time. Benefits of a central purchasing process include:

• Ensuring that faculty, staff, and administrators have access to up-to-date computer systems.

• Requiring that computing equipment purchases are reviewed by Information Technology Services (ITS) staff.

• Consolidating purchasing into large orders to lower costs associated with acquisition and deployment.

• Maximizing value by working with preferred vendors.

• Reducing the total cost of ownership by purchasing standardized configurations.

• Centralizing record-keeping to facilitate effective planning, maintenance, upgrades, and disposal.

• All computer purchases must be made with the school’s preferred supplier(s) and conform to a set of ITS-specified standard models.

• Faculty, staff, and administrators whose specific technical, environmental, or functional job responsibilities require an alternative to the standard configuration (Must be approved by the Chief Information Officer).

• Computers from separated employees that have at least one year remaining on their warranty will be distributed to new employees as the next requested comparable computer. This ensures the maximum utilization of school technology and financial resources.

• All computers purchased with the school’s funds remain the property of MCDS until disposed of through donation/recycling/or employee purchase programs.

Preferred Vendors & Service Providers

MCDS has negotiated special purchasing contracts with select vendors and service providers. Utilizing preferred vendors helps ensure that the school receives the maximum value for its purchasing dollar. These relationships also include special access to warranty and other services that assist ITS staff in fixing problems and lower the total cost of ownership of the equipment.

Standard Models

The TIO department maintains a standard laptop configuration that will meet the general computing needs of most school employees. The standard configuration will be used in the absence of special requirements (which require CIO approval), to minimize the number of models and configurations deployed across the school.

Purchasing Schedule

TIO schedules bulk purchases of computers once a year in May to reduce acquisition, recordkeeping, deployment, and disposal costs. TIO staff will consult with employees with computers due for a refresh before each purchase to discontinue or replace equipment with expired warranties, as well as arrange for the acquisition of additional equipment for new staff or programs. Our goal is to replace most computers during the summer months.

A scheduled order may be deferred and combined with a later order to reach a minimum dollar threshold required by our preferred vendors. Temporary equipment may be made available to if it is needed before the next order cycle.

Refresh Cycle

Desktop computers should be replaced on a five-year cycle while tablets and laptop computers should be replaced on a four-year cycle. This is done to ensure that systems used for daily business are up-to-date and under warranty. TIO is responsible for maintaining a refresh list, budgeting for the refresh, and communicating upcoming computer refresh cycles with impacted school employees.

Delivery of Computer

Once a computer has been purchased and set up, the computer remains the property of MCDS and the associated employee who is responsible for the computer must be documented with TIO. Should a computer need to be relocated, faculty, staff, and administrators should submit a support ticket to [e-mail] to request port activation and to ensure proper handling and configuration of the equipment in the new location.

Disposal of Computer

Once a computer is no longer covered by warranty, TIO will determine the best method of disposal. Possible options include donations to another non-profit organization, technology buy-back and recycling programs, or employee purchase programs. In all methods of disposal, all devices will be restored to factory condition and all applications and files will be erased from onboard storage media.

For employee purchase programs, TIO will establish a fair market value based on the average sale price for the specific model and configuration as sourced through a variety of online resale services. Employees may be provided the option to purchase their specific computer (however that is not guaranteed and is dependent upon the School having sufficient loaner pool reserves as determined by the CIO or their designee), or to be offered the opportunity to purchase a computer through a bulk sale event.