CATS+ Master Contract

Functional Area 9 - IT and Telecommunications Financial and Auditing Consulting Services

Description -

The IT and Telecommunications Financial and Auditing Consulting include the following types of services: cost and financial analyses, information systems auditing and quality assurance and telecommunications systems management.

Cost and Financial Analyses
A) Description – An independent “third-party” review of cost factors associated with the recommended solutions contained in proposals from contractors to develop IT and telecommunications solutions. Independent third-party reviews may include such analyses as project return on investment, total cost of ownership, IT project portfolio analysis and payments made or revenues received by State agencies under various contracts for telecommunications activities.

B) Examples of Potential Services:

• Verify charges and credits on telecommunications invoices that the State has received for various telecommunications equipment, systems and services, or amounts received under revenue producing contracts (may include inventory of equipment, lines, circuits and other telecommunications facilities). Assist in obtaining cash refunds from vendors for any erroneous charges, credits, or revenue shortages identified through audits.
• Perform independent reviews of proposed IT projects, products, and cost for services and benefits to determine cost-effectiveness;
• Perform independent analyses of cost proposals and cost benefit analyses for solutions submitted by Master Contractors in response to agency solicitations;
• Provide total cost of ownership analysis that includes the entire range of cost categories required for any given project being reviewed. The cost categories subject to analysis will depend on the particular IT project and may include: acquisition, facilities, equipment, operations, maintenance and repairs, and other costs such as, nonrecurring, recurring, direct and indirect, fixed and variable, and research and development;
• Establish baseline cost and benefits for IT projects based on historical data to serve as benchmarks for planning and evaluating proposed IT projects; and
• Provide financial management IT for projects and recommend procedures and processes for improving project financial management.

Information Systems Auditing and Quality Assurance
A) Description - Quality assurance audits of IT systems to ensure that systems perform to documented specifications in areas such as: data security, customer privacy, data accuracy, business processes, and customer satisfaction. In support of these efforts, auditing expertise to either perform or validate internal quality assurance audits for large- and medium-scale information technology projects in various environments (i.e., mainframe, mini computers, client/server, WAN/LAN).

B) Examples of Potential Services:
• Perform or validate quality assurance audits (including IV&V) of IT systems during the development process and report to a State agency on findings and recommend mechanisms to correct the issues identified in the audits; and,
• Develop an action plan that corrects audit findings and report to a State agency on the results of these corrective actions.

Telecommunications Systems Management
A) Description - Auditing services for quality control and for recommendations on consolidating activities spread among several contracts to obtain operational and cost efficiencies through consolidation and other means for telecommunication systems.
B) Examples of Potential Services:
• Evaluate and report on how State telecommunications contracts may be combined, streamlined, or otherwise improved to maximize operational and cost efficiencies in the State;
• Provide assessments of configuration and performance of telecommunications systems and contract vehicles;
• Analyze costs and benefits for telecommunications systems and provide recommendations based on maximizing return on investments for alternatives to current and proposed systems; and
• Monitor the implementation of accepted recommendations or improvements and provide feedback on level of improvements.

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Total # of Master Contractors: 265          Export to view Master Contractor Email Addresses

DoIT Strategic Planning catswebupdates.doit@maryland.gov

Total # of Master Contractors: 265