Introduction

This document provides for maintenance of all types of equipment held throughout the libraries.

Maintenance agreement purchase decisions are a risk-management decision. In making this decision
several factors should be taken into account:

 Terms and coverage of the proposed maintenance agreement

 Cost of a maintenance contract as a proportion of the original price of the equipment.
 Age/state of equipment versus replacement cost of the item (including an assessment of the
inherent product quality)
 History of service calls for similar models at other institutions with similar use patterns in-
house expertise to fix the item
 Past experience with repair personnel on maintenance contract
 Risk to libraries' services and operations if the item is out of commission
 Back-up plans in the event of a service need for extended down time

The Department Heads who work with the items in question; keep the service records for the item;
and whose budgets pay for the repair/service calls/replacement/warranty costs of the items, are in the
best position to make a recommendation about the desirability of any given maintenance agreement
contract.

Procedures

Responsibility for managing the useful life of equipment should be taken at the departmental level.
Appropriate consultation should be made with the Information Technology Department and/or the
Facilities Department. Managing equipment life cycles includes purchase, repair/maintenance, upgrade
decisions and the budgetary implications of various options. Department Heads who are responsible
for providing service with/without the equipment in question have the responsibility for agreeing to
maintenance contracts both at the point of purchase and throughout the life of the equipment.

Department Heads should make recommendations annually to their AUL about whether to purchase a
maintenance contract. A written justification of the decision to agree or not with maintenance contract
terms should include a history of maintenance calls for that equipment. The Department Head is
responsible for ensuring that preventative maintenance is performed on equipment and part of the
documentation forwarded to the AUL, with a copy to the UCI Libraries Business Office, should be a
maintenance log. When a maintenance agreement is acquired, the Department Head should keep a
copy of every warranty purchased for easy referral.

Equipment that usually should not be covered by a maintenance agreement includes: desktop
printers, desktop scanners, fax machines, new equipment covered under warranty and equipment
costing under $500 with a maintenance contract which costs more than 10% of the original purchase
price.

Replacement for equipment not covered under warranty should be made from departmental funds. If
the item is costly, a special request to Leadership Council will be required.

The Information Technology Dept. should be the first point of contact for local repair and
troubleshooting for equipment that involves a computer and/or its peripheral. The Facilities Dept.
should be the first point of contact for furniture and/or physical plant accommodations. The
appropriate supplier or maintenance vendor is the first point of contact for all other malfunctioning
equipment.