Acquisition Strategy Checklist

1) Who will provide software support? Supplier ‫ٱ‬ Acquirer ‫ٱ‬

2) Is maintenance documentation necessary? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
3) Will user training be provided by the supplier? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
4) Will acquirer’s personnel need training? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
5) When software conversion or modification is planned:
a) Will supplier manuals sufficiently
describe the supplier’s software? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
b) Will specification be necessary to describe the
Conversion or modification requirements and the
implementation details of the conversion or mod.? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
c) Who will provide these specifications? Supplier ‫ٱ‬ Acquirer ‫ٱ‬
d) Who should approve these specifications? ____________________________
6) Will source code be provided by the supplier so
that modifications can be made? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
7) Are supplier publications suitable for end users? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
a) Will unique publications be necessary? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
b) Will unique publications require formal acceptance? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
c) Are there copyright or royalty issues? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
8) Will the software be evaluated and certified? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
a) Is a survey of the supplier’s existing customers
sufficient? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
b) Are reviews and audits desirable? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
c) Is a testing period preferable to demonstrate that
the software and its associated documentation are usable
in their intended environment? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
d) Where will the testing be performed? ________________________________
e) Who will perform the testing? ______________________________________
f) When will the software be ready for acceptance? _______________________
9) Will supplier support be necessary during initial
installations of the software by the end users? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
10) Will subsequent releases of the software be made? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
a) If so, how many? __________ compatible upgrades? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
11) Will the acquired software require rework whenever
operating system changes occur? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
a) If so, how will the rework be accomplished? ___________________________
12) Will the acquired software commit the acquiring organization
to a software product that could possibly be discontinued? Yes ‫ٱ‬ No ‫ٱ‬
13) What are the risks/options if software is not required? _____________________

Source: IEEE Recommended Practice for Software Acquisition, IEEE Std 1062-1998
Edition (Dec 2) Reaffirmed Sept 2002, IEEE Press, New York, NY, USA. 2002.