Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) recently issued a 400-page preliminary report identifying best practices for every aspect of acquiring hardware, software and IT services, from setting service level agreements to managing the procurement process.

The effort was inspired and sponsored by GM CIO Ralph Szygenda, who has been critical of the general lack of standards in the IT field and began working with SEI over a year ago to write some.

The result extends the SEI's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) -- the five process maturity levels that are widely used in software development -- to purchasing. The software maturity level is set by SEI appraisers who review an organization's practices, and a similar rating process will be available to those involved in buying and selling technology, once the new standard is finished next spring.

'We see this as a leading global standard, ultimately,' said Deborah Yedlin, GM's global director of verification and validation. She's responsible for software quality standards for GM worldwide. 'It's a collection of best practices for acquirers like GM who work with suppliers to purchase technology,' she said. GM worked with some 50 companies and government agencies to collect the best practices, she said.

The Defense Department intends to run a pilot program to measure the standard's impact and value, Kristen Baldwin, assistant deputy director for software engineering and system assurance, said in statement. She said a final decision on its use will depend on the outcome of the pilot assessment, as well as a review by 'the broader defense acquisition community.'