Background:
The Office of Technology Planning and Assessment (TPA) in the Department of Information Technology reduces risk, increases efficiency and boosts effectiveness by leading in strategic technology planning, designing, assessing and piloting of new and emerging information technology systems, products or services for schools, administrative sites, and other Fairfax County Public Schools facilities. As part of this responsibility, TPA regularly arranges Vendor Technology Briefings with qualified vendors. A VTB is not intended to be a forum for sales presentations. The goal of the VTB is to explore, inform, and understand new and emerging technology products and services relevant to K-12 and FCPS.  

Process
The prerequisite for presentation at a VTB is to read and agree to the terms and conditions of this MOU and propose an agenda consistent with the spirit of this agreement.  The MOU and agenda will be reviewed by a team of FCPS professional staff members and selection will be made based on the interest and needs of the FCPS enterprise.  

The MOU and proposed agenda should be emailed to, Technology Planning and Assessment at vtb@fcps.edu.

Presentation Agenda
Participating organizations agree to make their presentations educational and informative by addressing most of the following areas:

• Industry, market and technology overview for the product or service
• Business application - Where and how would this technology be used within FCPS?
• Benefit to FCPS? - What are the anticipated educational and/or business returns for the technology?
• Competitors’ adoption - How have other K-12 or Higher Educational institutions used this technology?
• Level of maturity - What is the level of robustness and stability of the technology and how fast is it progressing?
• Level of risk - What factors would inhibit the adoption of this technology within K12?
• Implementation/Support model – How can this technology be implemented and supported most cost effectively in K-12?
• Approximate costs - What level of investment is required to bring this technology into production and to maintain it?
• Competitive Landscape - Who are the major providers in this space with this capability and how do they compare?
• Future Evolution - Any new innovations expected in this arena in terms of technology or business model? 
• Case study of other K-12 customers – Can you elaborate on a K-12 customer preferably of FCPS size where this technology has been implemented successfully?

Frequently Asked Questions
What does FCPS expect out of VTB?
FCPS expects a VTB to be informative and educational helping FCPS attendees to explore, be informed, and understand new and emerging technology products and services relevant to the K-12 industry.

What areas can be covered by VTB?
A VTB is informal in nature and can be as general or as detailed as necessary. The presentations can be on a particular technology, product, platform, services, process, procedure, best practice, plan, or vision.

Who within FCPS is typically invited?
The invitations are normally sent to the Department of Information Technology’s Management Team consisting of the Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Technology Architect, Directors and Coordinators along with the Coordinators of the teams that support technology within various FCPS departments. Additional invitations can be sent to other departments depending on the nature and the topic of the VTB.

How many attendees can be expected?
FCPS does not guarantee certain number of attendees for the VTB. Our experience has been that attendance is normally dictated by the topic, company profile, presenter credentials and the agenda outline.   

How many vendors are present?
Normally only one presenter (and applicable associates and partners) are present at the VTB. Such arrangements with associates and partners are the sole responsibility of the vendor signing the MOU.

What can a vendor expect?
This is a forum for the presenter to introduce, meet, engage, inform, educate, and influence key stakeholders within FCPS. Such engagement can lead to increased interaction and collaboration, visibility into current concerns and areas of interest of FCPS, and potential long term public-private partnerships.  

When and where are sessions held?
Scheduling is based on the availability of FCPS participants in coordination with the vendor.  Thursdays or Fridays are often the best days at either the Sprague Technology Center or Wilton Woods Center. 

What equipment is available?
FCPS makes available the meeting room, projector, and an Internet connection. 

What is a presenter expected to provide?
The presenter’s responsibility is to bring along the laptop, any demonstration equipment, presentation hardcopies, white papers and any pertinent technology or corporate literature. Additionally, vendors may wish to arrange for snacks and/or drinks for attendees. 

How far in advance do vendors need to apply?
Vendors should expect at least 8 weeks for review, response, and planning.

 To download the VTB Memorandum of Understanding please click here.