D94 staff recommend Pitney Bowes machines after Quadient service issues; five-year cost cited

District staff told the Community High School District 94 Committee of the Whole that problems with the district’s current Quadient postage machines and slow vendor service prompted administrators to pursue replacement machines through Pitney Bowes under the Illinois state contract.

Background and recommendation: The district uses a large Quadient machine in the student services area and a smaller machine in the district office. After receiving poor feedback about the Quadient machines and vendor responsiveness, district staff solicited options and were offered early installation by Pitney Bowes. The administration said the proposed five-year total cost under the Pitney Bowes agreement would be $43,699.20; for comparison, the Quadient machines’ five-year price five years ago was $30,640.80, the presenter said.

Operational issues: Board members asked about specific problems; an administrator said sealing problems (machines failing to seal mail consistently) and slow vendor response times for service visits were the principal complaints. A board member asked whether postage discounts are obtained through the machine; the presenter replied there should be some reduced postage costs but did not provide a detailed estimate.

Next steps: administration said it had requested updated pricing from Postal Source for a current Quadient offer and expected that pricing by the September board meeting. If Postal Source pricing is similar to Pitney Bowes, the administration said it would recommend proceeding with Pitney Bowes and bring a contract approval to the board in September.

No formal purchase vote was taken at the Committee of the Whole meeting; staff said they will return with updated vendor pricing and a recommendation for board approval.