RTS Hourly Billable Support (for IBM i) Available by 31Mar26 on a regional basis

Answer

RTS  Hourly Billable Support is available to provide assistance that is beyond the scope of SWMA/HWMA that can be completed remotely by TLS support representatives. (SWMA is for short duration questions and defects.) RTS Hourly Billable Support is available to SWMA/HWMA external clients World Wide.

The intent of RTS Hourly Billable Support is to fill the gap between SWMA/HWMA and an Expert Lab Services Engagement, as RTS Hourly Billable Support can be scheduled quickly and performed remotely. RTS Hourly Billable Support can also be used if the end user does not have the time or skills to perform the action plan given in course of working a problem record under SWMA or HWMA. If a defect is found during the performance of the contracted work, the engagement is still billable, and a separate case will be created for defect work if associated with IBM. If deeper root cause analysis is requested for a HW/SW ticket, RTS Hourly Billable Support can be used but is dependent on available data and confidential disclosure criteria.

Minimum requirements are an existing SWMA/HWMA case by someone in a TLS Support Center. The typical service is anything requiring 4-40 hours of total work and is estimated engagement with a minimum of 4 hrs. The current cost for an engagement ranges from $500 - $995/hr plus taxes depending on the situation , and can be purchased with a PO or credit card (if allowed by country).

The tasks and timing are agreed to by the client and the performing technical support representative. (This service is typically not available on weekends or holidays but can be scheduled off hours with agreement between technical support and client.) If an emergency, severity 1 situation requiring immediate or around the clock work, then the engagement could be potentially charged at a higher rate plus taxes and can be purchased with a PO or credit card (if allowed by country).

If you have had a discussion with a technical support representative, they have referred you to this document, someone has given you a time estimate, and would like to proceed, please use the following steps:

1. Update the existing or referral case with your acceptance
2. The support rep will create a new case with a subject line indicating a short statement of work along with an estimate of the time. (You will see the creation of a billable case under your customer number). There may be more detail inside the case that may be referenced. Within 24 hours another person at the control center will then give you an official quote to electronically sign. Once that is done the person(s) assigned to do the work will contact you to confirm the date and time.

The engagement will be considered complete when agreed work is finished within the agreed hours and will go to financial processing/invoicing per your earlier agreement. (Typically 10 to 30 days from case closure.) If additional requested work comes up that goes beyond the original estimate, it will be documented and estimated in the current or a separate case.

If the performance of the services is urgent or there are questions, please make sure the referring technical support representative is aware so the process can be expedited or questions answered. The technical support representative may defer questions to a platform focal or a support manager for resolution.

Reference:

IBM Power: What to expect when requesting or needing IBM Services assistance while working with IBM Support (applies to AIX, HMC, IBM i, PowerHA, PowerVM, Power Systems)
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7029780 

IBM Power Software (AIX, Virtual HMC (vHMC), IBM i, PowerHA, PowerVM): Why clients should keep their application, operating system, and firmware components updated to current release levels
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6595041

RTS - Remote Technical Support

TLS - Technology Lifecycle Services

SWMA - Software Maintenance

HWMA - Hardware Maintenance