Training on project managing procurement of accelerated compute - Task 043

Fit to programme

This task has been identified by the working groups as part of the agenda behind WP 3.3.

The task number is 043.

Summary

Procurement of accelerated compute is increasingly challenging. The oversaturation of supply by demand from AI hyperscalers has made pricing volatile. Procurement is often led by RTPs without a formal background in procurement, and requires managing relationships between stakeholders including suppliers, institutional procurement teams, and user communities.

The aim of this task is to produce introductory training giving a typical digital RTP the necessary skills and tools to successfully manage the procurement of accelerated computing infrastructure, from project conception to entry into service.

Methodology

Topics a proposed solution should cover include (but are not limited to):

• Engaging with suppliers, including
  • Obtaining quotations offering value for money
  • Identifying whether suppliers are being open and honest
• Writing a specification, including
  • Ensuring that you have recourse if the delivered solution does not perform
  • Easily-forgotten hardware and software elements of accelerated compute platforms
• Educating stakeholders on what constitutes accelerated compute in your specifi context, including
  • How accelerated compute procurements differ from other IT infrastructure
  • Expectations of a shared compute environment compared to, e.g., a departmental server
• Making effective use of frameworks
• Managing timelines and keeping all stakeholders to them
• What to do when the quote validity period is less than the time needed for approvals?
• Environmental sustainability and green procurement
• Options when things go wrong

Training material should be open and not specific to any one institution’s procurement policy. Proposed solutions would likely benefit from collaborators at multiple sites to capture the broadest possible experience base, rather than only any one site’s own experience. Material should signpost existing material where topics are already covered elsewhere, rather than reinventing the wheel, but should give a pathway through such that a learner ends up with the full skillset needed.

Outcomes

A set of training material covering the above points, openly licensed, and ready to deliver (or for learners to follow in a self-paced way).