COTS Acquisition: Getting a Good Contract

Abstract

Organizations that are acquiring a COTS based system must adapt many of their acquisition process activities that are traditionally used for acquiring non-COTS based systems. Much of this adaptation becomes quite difficult within government environments where the process is often constrained by government rules and regulations. This paper provides an experience report on COTS based acquisition for a government agency during the early stages of the process. The impact on requirements engineering and the steps for developing the Request For Proposal (RFP) and evaluating the proposals are outlined. The parties involved in the acquisition process are identified, and their relationship within a project governance structure are discussed. The final discussion provides some guidance as to how the early stages of the acquisition process should be adapted to minimize risk through the project.