Iowa Admin. Code r. 11-117.2

Current through Regsiter Vol. 46, No. 26, June 12, 2024
Rule 11-117.2 - Definitions

"Acquisition" or "acquire" is defined in the same manner as "procurement," "procure," or "purchase."

"Agency" or "state agency" means a unit of state government, which is an authority, board, commission, committee, council, department, examining board, or independent agency as defined in Iowa Code section 7E.4, including but not limited to each principal central department enumerated in Iowa Code section 7E.5. However, "agency" or "state agency" does not mean any of the following:

1. The office of the governor or the office of an elective constitutional or statutory officer.

2. The general assembly, or any office or unit under its administrative authority.

3. The judicial branch, as provided in Iowa Code section 602.1102.

4. A political subdivision of the state or its offices or units, including but not limited to a county, city, or community college.

"All or none " means an award based on the total for all items included in the solicitation.

"American-based business " means an entity that has its principal place of business in the United States of America.

"American-made product" means product(s) produced or grown in the United States of America.

"American motor vehicles " means those vehicles manufactured in this state and those vehicles in which at least 70 percent of the value of the motor vehicle was manufactured in the United States or Canada and at least 50 percent of the motor vehicle sales of the manufacturer are in the United States or Canada.

"Award" means the selection of a vendor to receive a master agreement or order of a good or service.

"Bidspecification " means the standards or qualities which must be met before a contract to purchase will be awarded and any terms which the director has set as a condition precedent to the awarding of a contract.

"Board" means the technology governance board established by Iowa Code section 8A.204.

"Competent and qualified" means an architect or engineer who, at the sole discretion of the department, has the capability in all respects to satisfactorily perform the scope of services required by the proposed contract in a timely manner.

"Competitive bidding procedure " means the advertisement for, solicitation of, or the procurement of bids; the manner and condition in which bids are received; and the procedure by which bids are opened, accessed, evaluated, accepted, rejected or awarded. A "competitive bidding procedure" refers to all types of competitive solicitation processes referenced in this chapter and may include a transaction accomplished in an electronic format.

"Competitive selection documents" means documents prepared for a competitive selection by a department or agency to purchase goods and services. Competitive selection documents may include requests for proposal, invitations to bid, or any other type of document a department or agency is authorized to use that is designed to procure a good or service for state government. A competitive selection document may be an electronic document.

"Department" means the department of administrative services (DAS).

"Director " means the director of the department of administrative services or the director's designee.

"Emergency " includes, but is not limited to, a condition:

1. That threatens public health, welfare or safety; or

2. In which there is a need to protect the health, welfare or safety of persons occupying or visiting a public improvement or property located adjacent to the public improvement; or

3. In which the department or agency must act to preserve critical services or programs; or

4. In which the need is a result of events or circumstances not reasonably foreseeable.

"Emergencyprocurement" means an acquisition resulting from an emergency need.

"Enterprise " means most or all state agencies acting collectively, unless it is used in a manner such as

"state accounting enterprise," in which case it means the specific unit of the department of administrative services.

"Fair and reasonable price " means a price that is commensurate with the extent and complexity of the services to be provided and is comparable to the price paid by the department or other entities for projects of similar scope and complexity.

"Formal competition " means a competitive selection process that employs a request for proposals or other means of competitive selection authorized by applicable law and results in procurement of a good or service.

"Good" or "goods" means products or personal property other than money that is tangible or movable at the time of purchase, including specially manufactured goods. A contract for goods is a contract in which the predominant factor, thrust, and purpose of the contract as reasonably stated is for the acquisition of goods. When there is a contract for both goods and services and the predominant factor, thrust, and purpose of the contract as reasonably stated is for the acquisition of goods, a contract for goods exists.

"Goods and services of general use" means goods and services that are not unique to an agency's program or that are needed by more than one agency. This chapter applies to the purchase of goods and services of general use.

"Governmental entity " means any unit of government in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government; an agency or political subdivision; any unit of another state government, including its political subdivisions; any unit of the United States government; or any association or other organization whose membership consists primarily of one or more of any of the foregoing.

"Informal competition " means a streamlined competitive selection process in which a department or agency makes an effort to contact at least three prospective vendors identified by the department or purchasing agency as qualified to perform the work described in the scope of work to request that they provide bids or proposals for the delivery of the goods or services the department or agency is seeking.

"Information technology device" means equipment or associated software, including programs, languages, procedures, or associated documentation, used in operating the equipment which is designed for utilizing information stored in an electronic format. "Information technology device" includes but is not limited to computer systems, computer networks, and equipment used for input, output, processing, storage, display, scanning, and printing.

"Information technology services " means services designed to provide functions, maintenance, and support of information technology devices, or services including but not limited to computer systems application development and maintenance; systems integration and interoperability; operating systems maintenance and design; computer systems programming; computer systems software support; planning and security relating to information technology devices; data management consultation; information technology education and consulting; information technology planning and standards; and establishment of local area network and workstation management standards.

"Iowa-based business " means an entity that has its principal place of business in Iowa.

"Iowa product" means a product(s) produced or grown in Iowa.

"Life cycle cost" means the expected total cost of ownership during the life of a product, including disposal costs.

"Limitedscope " means only a few specific services are required for a project. An example is a project for which all existing conditions and parameters are clearly evident or defined in a request for proposal, such as a project calling for development of specifications and bidding documents for replacement of an existing boiler.

"Lowest responsible bidder" means the responsible bidder that is fully compliant with the requirements and terms of the competitive selection document and that submits the lowest price(s) or cost(s).

"Master agreement" means a contract competitively bid and entered into by the department which establishes prices, terms, and conditions for the purchase of goods and services of general use. These contracts may involve the needs of one or more state agencies. Agencies may purchase from a master agreement without further competition. Master agreements (also referred to as "master contracts") for a particular item or class of items may be awarded to a single vendor or multiple vendors. The department is the sole agency authorized to enter into master agreements for goods and services of general use.

"Material modification " relating to an approved IT procurement means a change in the procurement of 10 percent or $50,000, whichever is less, or a change of sufficient importance or relevance so as to have possible significant influence on the outcome.

"Negotiatedcontract" means a master agreement for a procurement that meets the requirements of Iowa Code section 8A.207(4)"b. "

"Newspaper of general circulation" means a newspaper meeting the definition set forth in Iowa Code section 618.3.

"Operational standards " means information technology standards established by the department according to Iowa Code sections 8A.202 to 8A.207 that include but are not limited to specifications, requirements, processes, or initiatives that foster compatibility, interoperability, connectivity, and use of information technology devices and services among agencies.

"Order " means a direct purchase or a purchase from a state contract or master agreement.

"Participating agency, " applicable only to information technology purchases, means any agency other than:

1. The state board of regents and institutions operated under its authority;

2. The public broadcasting division of the department of education;

3. The department of transportation's mobile radio network;

4. The department of public safety law enforcement communications systems and capital complex security systems in use for the legislative branch;

5. The Iowa telecommunications and technology commission, with respect to information technology that is unique to the Iowa communications network;

6. The Iowa lottery authority; and

7. A judicial district department of correctional services established pursuant to Iowa Code section 905.2.

"Printing " means the reproduction of an image from a printing surface made generally by a contact impression that causes a transfer of ink, the reproduction of an impression by a photographic process, or the reproduction of an image by electronic means and shall include binding and may include material, processes, or operations necessary to produce a finished printed product, but shall not include binding, rebinding or repairs of books, journals, pamphlets, magazines and literary articles by a library of the state or any of its offices, departments, boards, and commissions held as a part of their library collection.

"Printing equipment" means offset presses, gravure presses, silk-screen equipment, large format ink jet printers, digital printing/copying equipment, letterpress equipment, office copiers and bindery equipment.

"Procurement, " "procure, " or "purchase " means the acquisition of goods and services through lease, lease/purchase, acceptance of, contracting for, obtaining title to, use of, or any other manner or method for acquiring an interest in a good or service.

"Procurement authority" means an agency authorized by statute to purchase goods and services.

"Purchasing card" means a statewide commercial credit card for electronic purchasing transactions by any agency, department, division, bureau, enterprise, unit or other state entity to facilitate the acquisition of goods, services and select travel expenses.

"Responsible bidder " means a vendor that has the capability in all material respects to perform the contract requirements. In determining whether a vendor is a responsible bidder, the department may consider various factors including, but not limited to, the vendor's competence and qualification for the type of good or service required, the vendor's integrity and reliability, the past performance of the vendor relative to the quality of the good or service, the past experience of the department in relation to the vendor's performance, the relative quality of the good or service, the proposed terms of delivery, and the best interest of the state.

"Sealed" means the submission of responses to a solicitation in a form that prevents disclosure of the contents prior to a date and time established by the department for opening the responses. Sealed responses may be received electronically.

"Service " or "services " means work performed for an agency or its clients by a service provider. A contract for services is a procurement where the predominant factor, thrust, and purpose of the contract as reasonably stated is for services. When there is a mixed contract for goods and services, if the predominant factor, thrust, and purpose of the contract as reasonably stated is for service, with goods incidentally involved, a contract for services exists.

"Software " means an ordered set of instructions or statements that causes information technology devices to process data and includes any program or set of programs, procedures, or routines used to employ and control capabilities of computer hardware. As used in these rules, "software" also includes, but is not limited to, an operating system; compiler; assembler; utility; library resource; maintenance routine; application; or a computer networking program's nonmechanized and nonphysical components; arrangements; algorithms; procedures; programs; services; sequences and routines utilized to support, guide, control, direct, or monitor information technology equipment or applications; and "data processing software" as defined in Iowa Code section 22.3A(1)"e. "

"Sole source procurement" means a purchase of a good or service in which the department or agency selects a vendor without engaging in a competitive selection process.

"Systems software" means software designed to support, guide, control, direct, or monitor information technology equipment, other system software, mechanical and physical components, arrangements, procedures, programs, services or routines.

"Targeted small business (TSB) " means a targeted small business as defined in Iowa Code section 15.102 that is certified by the economic development authority pursuant to Iowa Code section 15.108 and as authorized by Iowa Code chapter 73.

"Upgrade" means additional hardware or software enhancements, extensions, features, options, or devices to support, enhance, or extend the life or increase the usefulness of previously procured information technology devices.

"Vendor" means a person, firm, corporation, partnership, business or other commercial entity that provides services or offers goods for sale or lease.

"Vendor on-line system " means a state computer system that enables vendors to conduct business electronically with the state through an Internet location on the World Wide Web.

"Web " or "website " refers to an Internet location on the World Wide Web that provides information, communications, and the means to conduct business electronically.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 11-117.2

ARC 0952C, IAB 8/21/2013, effective 9/25/2013
Amended by IAB June 10, 2015/Volume XXXVII, Number 25, effective 7/15/2015
Amended by IAB October 24, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 9, effective 11/28/2018
Amended by IAB November 21, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 11, effective 12/26/2018
Amended by IAB December 19, 2018/Volume XLI, Number 13, effective 1/23/2019