Committee approves forwarding replacement of city phone system with cloud-based GoToConnect

The Brentwood Ways and Means Committee voted to forward to the Board of Aldermen a plan to replace the city’s aging ShoreTel phone system with a cloud-based GoToConnect solution. City IT staff said the existing ShoreTel system, purchased in 2010, is at the end of its useful life and that parts are increasingly unavailable. Staff presented a needs analysis that listed required features such as a reliable mobile app, SMS/text capability, and e-faxing. Four vendors were evaluated: RingCentral, GoToConnect, SnapCom and Mitel; GoToConnect best met the city's needs while offering a competitive five-year price, staff said. Staff estimated year-one costs of about $54,000 and ongoing annual subscription costs near $24,000; the initial term would be 60 months. The capital line in the FY25 budget originally estimated $120,000 for phone replacement; staff said the GoToConnect proposal reduces year-one capital outlay compared with some on-premise alternatives such as Mitel, which have higher upfront costs but lower long-term totals if amortized over a 10-year useful life. IT staff said existing direct-dial phone numbers would be ported and that the transition should not require number changes. Committee members asked about potential service disruption, handset replacement (roughly $30,000 in year-one hardware), and disposal of existing equipment; staff said the city would attempt to sell usable equipment on GovDeals and otherwise recycle it. The committee moved and seconded a motion to forward the procurement to the full Board of Aldermen; the motion carried.