Software Under $10,000

Do you need software to do your job or make sure TTS is running smoothly? Follow the steps below to access software we own or request a software purchase of under $10,000.

Get access to software we already have

Check the GEAR, IT Standards list (must be on GSA wireless or VPN) to ensure the software you need is currently approved by GSA IT.

If the software you are looking for is in the TTS inventory, send an email to tts-software@gsa.gov requesting a license for the software you need. The TTS Saas Project Manager will contact you within 1-2 business days.

If TTS does not have licenses, GSA might. In order to check the GSA IT Catalog (aka Service Now), scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Order Something”. On the next page, click on “Software”. This will take you to a page to request software from GSA IT. Scroll toward the bottom of the page to where it says “Enter Software Name Here”. In the dropdown menu, start to type the name of the software you need. If the name pops up, it means GSA has already purchased it.

If your software is in the Catalog, fill out the rest of the form to request a license.

Note: If you’re looking for MS Office, see this section below.

Purchase new software

If the software is not in the TTS inventory or GSA IT Catalog (or if there are no licenses available), you will need to fill out a C2 request for TTS to purchase the software. Here’s how:

Step 1: find or get an ATO

An Authority to Operate (ATO) is similar to an expiration date. It describes the date through which software is approved to use and is issued by GSA IT. An ATO is needed to ensure the software you are requesting is secure and meets the Government’s security standards. To check for an ATO, you need to go to GEAR, IT Standards list (aka Salesforce). Note: you will need VPN to view the list.

If the software you are purchasing has a valid ATO listed in GEAR, then you can proceed with the rest of the process. You should save a copy of the ATO to your desktop so you can attach it to the C2 request later.

If the ATO is expired or you cannot find it in GEAR, you can post in the Slack channel #gsait-shared to ask if there is an updated ATO. If there is no ATO or the ATO is expired, you will need to go through the ATO process to ensure your software is approved by security. You can follow these steps to submit a new software for ATO. The ATO process can take 4-6 weeks and there is no guarantee it will be approved. If your need is urgent, try to find something in GEAR, IT Standards list that is already approved and meets your needs.

Step 2: use C2 to make a request

Get access to C2 and make a request, then come back here.

After you make the C2 request:

Add the TTS SaaS PM, and the TTS Office of Acquisition (OA) Director as observers to the request. You can do this by scrolling all the way to the bottom of the C2 page to where it says “Observers” and typing in their names or emails. Please see the POC section below to find the names and contact information of the current TTS SaaS PM and OA Director.

Once you complete this step, there are 4 things that you will need in C2 before the software can be approved:

1. ATO

This is the step where you attach the ATO from GEAR that you saved to your desktop. Attach it as a file in the C2 request so the finance team and the OA team can see it and approve the purchase. Remember that without an ATO, your software purchase cannot be approved, so make sure you have an ATO before initiating the C2 request.

2. Supervisor approval

Supervisor approval is easy! You have two options:

Add your supervisor as an observer in C2 by scrolling all the way to the bottom where it says “Observers” and type in their email. (If they have never used C2, you may need to request access for them, like you did for yourself at the beginning of the process.) Then, they simply need to add a comment “Approved” in your C2 request. Please note that for OPP purchases, the OPP Director’s approval is required in addition to the portfolio supervisor’s approval.
Send an email to your supervisor requesting their approval for the software you need. You should include your justification for why you need the software. They can email back “Approved”. Please note that for OPP purchases, the OPP Director’s approval is required in addition to the portfolio supervisor’s approval. Go to print the email chain and save it as a PDF. Then attach the file in C2.

3. Finance approval

Finance approval will come from the Director of Operations or their designees. Once they see the correct attachments in C2 and confirm finances are available for the purchase, they will approve the purchase in C2. A green check mark will appear next to Step 1 in C2. Any clarification of budget code will be made through the comments to the requests.

4. FITARA

Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) is legislation that puts federal agency Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in control of IT investments. This means that the CIO and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) need to give documented approval of an IT purchase to remain compliant with this act.

The good news? You don’t have to worry about FITARA! The TTS SaaS PM and TTS OA Director will take care of this and upload the documentation to C2 when it’s finished. The only thing you need to do is include a great justification and all of the correct details about the software you are requesting so the TTS SaaS PM and TTS OA Director can include this information in the FITARA request to the CIO and CTO.

Step 3: Procurement

Once all of the attachments are in C2, the TTS Saas PM will contact you to set up a meeting to purchase your software! Make sure you reached out to the finance team (ASF or FCSF) for the correct accounting code if it is not already provided in the request.

Get a copy of Microsoft Office

Please follow the instructions in this Google Document: How to get Microsoft for OS X.

Chrome extensions

Only use browser extensions approved by GSA IT. See IT Service Catalog: Google Chrome Extension Request for the list of approved or rejected extensions, as well as how to request approval for a new extension.

Contacts

TTS SaaS Project Manager: Melanie Leopold melanie.leopold@gsa.gov
TTS Office of Acquisition Director: Esther Praske esther.praske@gsa.gov

Questions?

Find us in Slack: #tts-oa-internalbuy.