Seat management refers to outsourcing desktop computers and their related software, hardware, maintenance and help desk support. The difficulty in hiring and retaining federal information technology workers has pushed some agencies to shift dwindling IT personnel from providing basic maintenance of desktop computers a relatively routine task to other functions that may be more directly related to an agency s mission. The General Services Administration s Seat Management contract offers agencies a way to outsource PCs and laptops, operating systems, maintenance and upgrades, and help desk support. Some agencies have used the Seat Management contract to outsource entire networks and enterprise software systems. Participating agencies define the level of service they want to support their users and their missions.
Contractors propose the level of technology needed to meet the level of service requested.
Service level agreements are tightly defined and often include a desired response time for help desk support and a percentage for network reliability. Seat Management task orders, however, do not supplant the need for program managers, whom agencies are still required to employ.