How do we make a catalog item for a subscription?

[ahbrook]

If I'm asking this in the wrong place, please let me know. I don't even know if I'm phrasing or describing my issue properly.

Is there any advice, documentation, or resources on how to have the core ITSM product handle a "subscription" service or rental or anything like that? Specifically, we'd like to have a service catalog request to request a data connection, and then bill for that until such time as they put in a different request to cancel/end the data connection service. 

While going through ITSM training, I saw a lot of focus on ordering a service or a product that used a specific point in time. For example, requesting a workstation or a mouse or access to a system or something. These are one-off things, sometimes with an upfront cost to the organization. 

However, I have a situation where we do chargebacks on a service. Specifically, logical/physical data circuits. If a circuit in a building is "active" (as in allows for IP / network traffic to a VLAN), we've traditionally charged $11/mo to the department or fund that requested it. This service would have a specific start date, and theoretically an end date, that our business office could then send an invoice for. 

Currently, we only have the core ITSM module. I am building the case for other modules (especially TNI), but for now I need to stay within the bounds of what the base program allows.  I think this may involve setting up a model of some kind, which can then be ordered, but nothing I've poked around at indicates a way to have an item cost X per month. It's possible I am looking in the wrong category (like maybe this is a contract), but I feel like this is something someone else must have dealt with in the past. 

Our business process is typically: 

• authorized college staff request a "jack" (logical circuit) be activated with networking
• Networking determines if the circuit already exists
  • If it doesn't, a ticket is opened with Facilities to run the cabling
• Networking then configures the circuit, including VLAN and other parameters
• We record what general ledger fund will be paying for the circuit
• We generate a report and send it to our Comptroller's office to handle billing based on our data
• Theoretically, sometime in the future a request will come in to disable the circuit or change who is paying for it. 

We also have situations where an external vendor may request a circuit for a limited time, or like an external vendor comes in an reserves things for a few days, or where someone may need to temporarily set up extra wifi access points. 

The easiest answer would be to not charge for these, of course, and we may be going that route. But we still will likely have edge cases with external vendors or contractors.