How do you work with your execs when MSP/VARs are seemingly successfully working around your engineering team for infrastructure decisions?

Hello r/networking! Throwaway account.

Does anyone have the following situation or something similar?

• Non-technical CIO and CSO have developed what appears to be a friendly (maybe even close) relationship with a MSP/VAR for physical security projects
• CIO and CSO sign support long-term service contracts without any input from IT engineering teams, then inform these teams of the decisions made and that they'll be working with them
• MSP/VAR does not engage IT engineering for any sort of design or deployment input (sans IP address space) until they've already been onsite and done physical installations and are requesting items such as port configurations (and is sanctioned by CIO and CSO)
• MSP/VAR routinely meets with CIO and CSO, and continually makes pitches for the MSP/VAR to provide additional IT infrastructure contracts, including but not limited to network support and/or hosting
• MSP/VAR's non-hosted contracts seem to be focused on tier 2 and 3 'support' post-deployment, and they want all hands-on to be done by IT team, or they charge hourly for hands-on support

It basically seems like this MSP/VAR has keenly short-circuited our engineering team's ability to provide input into the decision process, and with some big equipment refresh coming, it seems like the MSP/VAR is going to be making a pitch to integrate their services and purchase equipment with a vendor we don't think is in our best interests.

And of course, our engineering team has never asked for tier 2 and 3 services, but instead we stated we want more tier 1 support, but our organization won't hire any more people, but they'll pay for services.

I'm not entirely sure how to get ahead of this and get more input into the decision making process. At times it seems like the CIO values our input when we do meet, but the MSP/VAR meets or is in contact way more than us.

How do you deal with with this situation, if at all? Our direct manager doesn't seem to be able to make an impact to this, so I'm a big flabbergasted at what to do. Is this a systemic issue and I just need to start looking for a job elsewhere? It doesn't seem like our jobs are at stake, but it does seem like the execs are quite receptive to outsourcing tier 2 and 3 engineering.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.