SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
COLLEGES AND LEARNING RESOURCE CENTRES,
OTHER CLIENT GROUPS
AND
THE BIBLIOCENTRE
MARCH 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2. SCOPE
3. DEFINITIONS
4. SERVICES
10. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE BIBLIOCENTRE AND CLIENT INSTITUTIONS
12. SUB-CONTRACTING
13. ANNUAL REVIEW
14. APPENDICES - MEASUREMENT OF SERVICE LEVELS
KEY SERVICES RANKED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY
SERVICE AVAILABILITY
This service level agreement is between the Ontario colleges Bibliocentre and the colleges and clients in Ontario to whom the Bibliocentre provides services. The intent is to establish reasonable expectations regarding services and support to all Bibliocentre client groups.
The service level agreement is a document
detailing the co-ordination of services that have an impact on their end-to-end service
availability. It provides clients with a single point of contact until a condition is
resolved. It is also a means of service measurement and a motivator to meet the
established standards.
This agreement covers automation and support
services the Bibliocentre provides to its clients. The agreement does not cover, for
example, service quality as it relates to processing book orders or quality of
cataloguing. Other contractual agreements that are part of this document include
agreements between the Bibliocentre and DRA, Dymaxion (Medianet), software suppliers, and
hardware maintenance agreements. For the purpose of dispute resolution, the laws in
Ontario govern this agreement.
In the remainder of this document "clients or client institutions" refers to colleges that are eligible to receive services, and clients not part of the college system who may have purchased services from the Bibliocentre.
See Glossary of definitions Appendix E.
The services provided by the Bibliocentre’s systems area are:
Operational Services:
Subject to targets set in Appendix A & B and defined as the daily operation of the service(s) that rely on computers and computer networks for delivery, or the operation of software, and products. The Bibliocentre will provide a set of operational services associated with delivery of services through a wide-area network. A basic set of operational, wide-area networking services will be specified through the UAG and Biblionet and provided to all client institutions. Some other operational services will be optional and provided when client institutions explicitly request them. Optional services may have separate charges associated with them.
Developmental Services:
Defined as the introduction of new or enhanced services to Bibliocentre clients. The Bibliocentre will outline a developmental program annually and will undertake the overall management of the program(s). The Bibliocentre’s management responsibility will include financial management of projects, the choice of sub-contractors, and the initiation of new projects that fall within the agreed outline and which take advantage of new developments of interest to clients.
Co-ordination Services:
Co-ordinates the development of the network infrastructure for delivery of programs and services between the Bibliocentre and its clients, also provides intermediary services to co-ordinate more efficient use of resources. These services are provided for clients as a whole and may be visible only indirectly.
Management and Consultancy:
The Bibliocentre will offer organizational and technical expertise to manage programs provided through the Bibliocentre and to also advise on certain aspects of networking.
A complete list of services is included in Appendix
A.
For each of the operational services, a specification, or set of specifications that guarantees a measure of the quality of the service is also specified in Appendix A & B. The target values for these specifications represent the service levels that the Bibliocentre commits to provide. The Bibliocentre shall not be required to honour these commitments in case of Force Majeure (Acts of God).
The detailed specifications of general service levels and of the methods of measuring them shall conform to "notes on the definition and measurement of service levels as defined in Appendix A & B.
Service priorities are assigned according to the seriousness of the problem.
Factors to be considered are listed in Appendix A.
Communication
Communication regarding any problems should be reported to the Bibliocentre immediately. They will be logged using tracking software and assigned a priority according to the urgency of service needed. The help desk is available during the hours listed in Appendix B. A messaging system is available 24 hours for non-emergency services when the help desk personnel are not available. Emergency numbers for after-hours service are provided in Appendix B.
The technical support team is listed in Appendix C, however all calls should be logged through the help desk.
Reports
User reports for any of the operational services will be provided as requested and within the cost and timeframes as specified. Timeframes will be negotiated at the time of request. There may be a charge for custom reports. (Appendix A)
Maintenance
Maintenance service will be performed at scheduled periods throughout the year. Maintenance service and the production of reports will normally be performed from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Upgrades to the system or software will be scheduled in consultation with clients. Clients will be responsible for notifying the Bibliocentre regarding extended hours, statutory holidays, and any other changes to the normal work schedule.
Escalation
Escalation of unresolved problems that may lead to conflict between the Bibliocentre and its clients are referred to:
- Executive Director of the Bibliocentre, and if not resolved, escalated to,
- Central administration of Centennial College
Appropriate time must be granted for resolution; these are listed in Appendix D.
Problems of a technical nature may be escalated by the Bibliocentre to a vendor, or to a third party vendor as required. Resolution of these problems is often at the discretion and availability of vendors to resolve the problem. The Bibliocentre Executive Director is responsible for ensuring contracts with vendors reflect the need for quick resolution.
Audits will normally be carried out no more frequently than once per year. The audit team shall have access to all reports and to any material provided by the UAG, Biblionet, or other clients as part of the Bibliocentre’s service provision.
The UAG shall be responsible for the monitoring of services, within the budget available. The UAG and the Bibliocentre may be assisted, where necessary, by the appointment of independent experts.
The Bibliocentre will allow the auditors to spend reasonable amounts of time with appropriate staff interviewing them regarding specific indicators. The Bibliocentre will be given the opportunity to make written comments to the auditor on a draft of the auditors’ report. A copy of the audit report and written comments shall be made available to the UAG, clients, and the Bibliocentre.
Audit costs incurred shall be borne by the UAG
out of the development fund. Specifics of this document are regarded as an extension of
the accountabilities of the Executive Director of the Bibliocentre.
From time to time, the UAG shall carry out a technical audit of one or more of the Bibliocentre’s development or co-ordination services, but not operational services.
The purpose of any such audit will be to assess the extent to which the Bibliocentre has met the specified requirements in Appendix A & B. Such audits will pay particular attention to the performance of the Bibliocentre with respect to these standards.
Assessment of the developmental and the
co-ordination of services are subjective and may not be subject to performance indicators.
Performance indicators for operational services
will be specified in Appendix A & B. The UAG may request an audit of the methods and
procedures used by the Bibliocentre to measure the values of the service level
specifications defined for operational services. The purpose of the audit will be to
confirm the accuracy of the Bibliocentre’s reports and the extent to which it has
achieved the required levels of service. Client institutions may ask the UAG to initiate
an investigation in cases where they have evidence that the service levels have not been
met.
Management and consultancy will be measured
through the establishment of criteria as defined at the time services are contracted with
each client group.
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE BIBLIOCENTRE AND CLIENT INSTITUTIONS
All clients that receive Bibliocentre services will have a written agreement that specifies:
- optional services selected by clients
- payment for services agreed to by client institutions
- responsibilities of the client institutions
- contact points within the Bibliocentre for dealing with problems and other communications
Client institutions will communicate through the Bibliocentre to secondary service providers such as DRA or Dymaxion (Medianet). The Bibliocentre will take reasonable steps to deal with enquiries and problems from clients; such steps will normally involve referring the query to the most appropriate contact point.
If a client institution does not provide
necessary information or discharge the necessary obligations, the Bibliocentre may not be
able to provide the defined level of service.
Services provided through the Bibliocentre are
financed through the Bibliocentre operating budget or the development fund. A formula for
the distribution of costs of consortium purchases will be determined and agreed to by the
UAG and Biblionet. The fees shall be negotiated between the Bibliocentre and the vendor.
Each client will have the opportunity to receive these services at agreed to rates.
The Bibliocentre remains responsible for
ensuring that the services are provided to the client institutions with the agreed levels
of performance as defined in the contract.
The UAG and the Bibliocentre shall review
annually the list of services provided (Appendix
A) and may submit revisions to the UAG for approval. The service year shall align with
Centennial College’s fiscal year, April 1 – March 31.
APPENDICES -
MEASUREMENT OF SERVICE LEVELS
APPENDIX A - KEY SERVICES RANKED IN ORDER OF PRIORITY
Performance Indicators
The daily operation of services that rely on computer and computer networks. Details are also found in Appendix B.
Level 1
- Circulation Services
- Online Public Access Catalogue (Web, Telnet, Z39.50 versions)
- Electronic Products (such as databases offered through the Bibliocentre)
- Media Booking Services
- Help/desk Services
Service interruption for greater than ½ day results in major inconvenience to clients
Level 2
- Acquisitions Services
- Cataloguing Services
- Serials Check-in Services
Service interruption for greater than 1 day results in major inconvenience to clients
Level 3
- Web services (Brodart, Login Br.)
- Learning Packages
Service interruption for greater than 2 days results in major inconvenience to clients
Level 4
- Reports
- See attached list
Bibliocentre Pricing Policy for Reports
23 February 1998
Type of Report
Standard DRA Reports
FREE
Reports which are part of the DRA software and are
run without modifications except changes to date and college identification parameters.
Modified DRA Reports 1
$50.00
each
Reports which are part of the DRA software which
are modified at the input level by Bibliocentre. Input parameters are changed from default
values to meet custom requirements of a college.
Modified DRA Reports 2
$75.00
each
Reports which are part of the DRA software which
are modified at the output level by Bibliocentre. Output data are reformatted, or
calculations are performed on the data, or data are edited to meet custom requirements of
a college
Custom Reports 1
$85.00
each
Locally generated modifications of earlier reports
done for other colleges, or data extraction from a single data file, including formatting
of output. As per note 7 below, we will encourage the sharing of costs but if any report
has been in production for over 12 months, it is deemed to have aged and falls into this
category.
Custom Reports 2
$125.00
each
Locally generated report consisting of data
extraction using 2-4 data files, including formatting of output.
Custom Report 3
$200.00
each
Locally generated report consisting of data
extraction using 5 or more data files, or extensive derivation including formatting of
output.
Outsourced Reports
COST +
10%
Reports generated by a third party because there
are no resources to generate the report locally. As per note 7 below, we will encourage
the sharing of costs on outsourced reports also. But if any report has been in production
for over 12 months, it is deemed to have aged and falls into the category custom reports
1.
Inherited Reports
FREE
Reports from any of the above categories already
being prepared for a college but not being charged.
Rerun of any Custom Report 1
FREE
If report is rerun within six months of original
report run.
Rerun of any Custom Report 2
Original
Cost or $100.00
If rerun any time after the six month period since
the report was originally run for that college. This cost will not normally be greater
than the original cost of the report.
Report Placed on College Menu
$50.00
each
College can run the report without any further
modifications as frequently as it chooses.
Report Printing
$0.10/page min $20.00 + Shipping & Handling
The Bibliocentre will print a formatted report for
the college and deliver by courier to that college. This is over and above the cost of the
report itself. There is no cost associated with delivery of a report via FTP.
Custom Data Updates and Extraction
$150.00
+ $0.20/record
The Bibliocentre will perform mass moves such as
the shutdown or addition of a location, modification of patron records other than those
necessary for normal operations. A summary report of the task performed plus itemized
invoice will be provided to the college.
Deletion of Withdrawn Items
done by
college - $0.10/item
done by
Bibliocentre- $.25/Item
This does not represent a change from the current
policy for purging withdrawns.
NOTES
There will be no changes to charges already agreed to by colleges and Bibliocentre for any work to which the Bibliocentre has committed prior to the installation of this pricing policy.
The colleges are not deemed to be responsible for any delays, problems or difficulties encountered by the Bibliocentre in generating a requested report. The Bibliocentre is committed to creating reports for the colleges as quickly and efficiently as possible and to a standard of quality determined by the colleges as well as the Bibliocentre.
The college is responsible for ensuring that the Bibliocentre has all necessary information required to generate a requested report including timely response to Bibliocentre requests for more information.
The college is responsible for ensuring that staff members requesting reports are authorized to do so. All requests must be submitted in writing (email is acceptable).
The Bibliocentre requires 7 working days lead time for most reports but may need more time for custom reports level 2 and custom reports level 3. This would be determined at request time and reported back to the college immediately upon determination of the additional time required.
If the college has an emergency or deadline situation where a report is required in less than seven working days, the Bibliocentre will make every effort to prepare the report within the requested time frame.
We wish to introduce an incentive for colleges to share costs. If a program is in development for a college, the Bibliocentre will invite any college to share in the development cost for a base fee to cover modifications and an equal share of the original cost. This arrangement or offer will stay in effect for 12 months after the completion of the report. After this time it falls into custom reports 1. A refund procedure will be established to ensure costs are properly shared.
APPENDIX B – OPERATIONAL SERVICES AND SERVICE AVAILABILITY
Critical periods:
- 15 August to 25 September
- 15 November to 15 December
- 2 January to 25 January
- 15 March to 15 April
Peak periods – Monday to Friday:
- 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
HOURS OF AVAILABILITY (Help desk)
- Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
EMERGENCY SERVICE WEEKEND AND EVENINGS
Emergency Service is defined as a problem, which needs immediate resolution and cannot wait for the next business day.
- Alex Eykelhof (416) 656-9644 / cell – (416) 821-1248
- Muhsin Jaffer (416) 479-5662
- Janice Hayes (416) 510-8510
By identifying critical periods and peak periods the Bibliocentre in no way implies that service during non-critical and non-peak periods will be in any way lessened or treated with lower priority. The Bibliocentre recognizes that these periods are the times when service interruption will have the greatest impact upon the clients of the Bibliocentre.
Availability:
- Hours defined in number 3
- Availability target – 98.5 % (approx. 80 minutes of unscheduled downtime per week)
The Bibliocentre acknowledges the availability target does not imply that unavailability within target limits is considered acceptable. It serves as a measure of performance by the Bibliocentre. If targets are not being met, the Bibliocentre must improve performance.
Background work details supplied by the client are needed for the Bibliocentre to deliver optimal level of services
- Minimum computer capabilities needed by the clients
- Minimum Internet services
- Minimum training requirements
APPENDIX B – OPERATIONAL SERVICES AND SERVICE AVAILABILITY
Problem reporting protocols.
A. Reporting Methods:
The colleges and other clients may report problems to the Bibliocentre at any time using the following reporting systems:
Telephone – The Bibliocentre’s toll-free Helpline is answered during the hours of availability (noted in paragraph 3). A message may be left on voicemail at that number and a systems support staff member will respond to the message within 2 hours. Emergencies occurring during times outside the hours of availability should be reported to staff noted in paragraph 4.
Email – The Bibliocentre Help Desk monitors all email received at the help desk and responds to them within the day, if possible, or the next day. Problems reported by email may be forwarded to the most appropriate department at the Bibliocentre for resolution
Facsimile – The Bibliocentre regularly distributes faxes received at its FAX number. This mode of communication is well-suited to delivering follow-up documentation on a reported problem
B. Reporting Authority:
To ensure that the staff persons at the colleges and other clients are authorized to report problems, directors are requested to supply the Bibliocentre with an updated list of the names and positions of persons authorized to report problems. It will also be necessary for the Bibliocentre to contact these persons to report resolutions or request further information. The list of authorized names should be updated as frequently as necessary and reconfirmed annually.
C. Reporting Urgency:
The Bibliocentre defines 3 levels of reporting urgency:
Critical – The problem being experienced by the college or client results in an interruption of any of the services delivered by or through the Bibliocentre. These types of problems should always be reported by telephone to ensure a timely response. (Example: The circulation service ceases to function and the college must circulate using the offline backup system)
Very Serious – The problem being experienced by the college or client results in inconvenience to the staff of the college or client leading to extra work or unexpected restructuring of work by staff members. These problems may be reported by telephone for the quickest response but can also be reported to the Bibliocentre by email. (Example: A request to change the calendar for circulation purposes such that items do not come due on a public holiday when the library is closed)
Serious - The problem being experienced by the college or client results in a question by staff at the college or client about the interpretation of rules and standards regarding the display and categorization of information. These problems should primarily be delivered to the Bibliocentre by email but may be delivered by telephone as well. (Example: Interpretation of the AACR2 standard regarding authorized headings)
D. Reporting Checklist:
In order to efficiently address problems, the Bibliocentre requests the following information when a problem is reported:
- Name of the report, college, or client.
- Name of person reporting the problem.
- Telephone number of the person reporting the problem.
- A brief description of the problem including systems affected and the time when the problem was first noticed.
- Any messages (such as error messages) attributable to the problem.
APPENDIX C - SUPPORT TEAM
HELP DESK – YVONNE GLENVILLE
PHONE -- 416-289-5151 x 6002
E-MAIL -- ayms@cencol.on.ca
FAX -- 416-299-4841
MANAGER OF IT -- ALEX EYKELHOF
PHONE -- 416-289-5151 x 6060
E-MAIL -- eykelhof@lmail.cencol.on.ca
FAX -- 416-299-4841
PROGRAMMER – MIKE NOAKES
PHONE -- 416-289-5151 x 6624
E-MAIL -- amen@cencol.on.ca
FAX -- 416-299-4841
LAN OPERATOR – VACANT
PHONE
FAX
BUSINESS MANAGER -- MUHSIN JAFFER
PHONE -- 416-289-5151 X6001
E-MAIL -- amhj@cencol.on.ca
FAX -- 416-299-4841
APPENDIX D - ESCALATION OF PROBLEMS
| ESCALATION OF PROBLEMS IS TO
THE: |
RESPONSE TIME: | |
| Executive Director of the
Bibliocentre Phone 289-5000 ext. 6000 Fax (416) 299-4841 |
Janice Hayes (Acting) e-mail jhayes@lmail.cencol.on.ca |
STEP 1: - 2 weeks - written response required from the Bibliocentre |
| UAG response Phone(807) 475-6241 Fax (807) 622-3258 |
Laraine Tapak (Chair) e-mail tapak@confederationc.on.ca |
STEP 2: - 2 weeks - written response required |
| Centennial College Administration Phone 289-5000 x 5290 Fax 439-7358 |
c/o Debra
Thomson e-mail dthomson@lmail.cencol.on.ca |
STEP 3: - 3 weeks - written response required |
| UAG response Phone(807) 475-6241 Fax (807) 622-3258 |
Laraine Tapak (Chair) e-mail tapak@confederationc.on.ca |
STEP 4: - 3 weeks |
| Unresolved issues | referred to CAAT
Coordinating Committee for recommendation to COP |
APPENDIX E - GLOSSARY OF TERMS
| Biblionet | BiblioNet Consortium consists of
Bibliocentre as the lead organization and other college Learning Resource Centres who have
agreed to participate in the joint venture for the use of automated library system (DRA)in
their own local environment. |
| CAAT | Colleges of Applied Arts and
Technology in Ontario Established through the Department of Education in accordance with Bill 153 May 21, 1965 by the Honourable William Davis. CAAT Coordinating Committee: The CAAT Coordinating Committee is responsible to the Committee of Presidents for ensuring that emerging issues are addressed within the committee structure. It ensures that issues with cross-committee responsibilities are coordinated. The CAAT Coordinating Committee may strike a task force for urgent matters or issues of special complexity. |
| Clients | All users of Bibliocentre services.
This may include a group or groups not belonging to the college system. |
| Consortium | The Colleges Learning and Resource
Centres in Ontario and any other clients who may purchase services from the Bibliocentre.
|
| COP | Committee of Presidents |
| Co-ordination Services | Co-ordinates the development of the
network infrastructure for delivery of programs and services between the Bibliocentre and
its clients. Also provides intermediary services to co-ordinate more efficient utilization
of resources.
|
| Developmental Services
|
Defined as the introduction of new or enhanced services to Bibliocentre clients |
| DRA |
Data Research Associates |
| Force Majeure |
Acts of God |
| Operational Services
|
The daily operation of the service(s) that rely on computers and computer networks |
| UAG | Bibliocentre Users' Advisory Group (UAG) consists of one representative from each college Learning Resource Centre. It makes recommendations and provides direction on Bibliocentre services. |
SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT final3