Stephenson County approves grant-funded purchase, selects Access Systems for copiers after split vote

Stephenson County commissioners voted 13-0 on a subsequent motion to award a countywide purchase and five-year maintenance agreement for copier equipment to Access Systems, using a court-technology grant, after an earlier motion to award the contract to Gordon Flesch failed 5-8.

The decision settles a months-long effort by county staff to co-term copier contracts across departments and use a time-limited grant to buy equipment outright. The grant covers the bulk of the purchase; the Board approved including the five-year maintenance agreement in the grant payment.

The vote followed public comments from vendor representatives and a staff presentation. Nathan Johnson, a sales representative for Access Systems, told the Board that his company had negotiated pricing and could “include [maintenance] in the purchase price” so the county “would not have to budget a line item for this” for five years. Johnson said the Access proposal’s purchase price was $173,618.24 and the maintenance fee would be $723.80 per month, and he characterized his firm as “the number 2 Sharp dealer in the nation.”

Dayton Podman, representing Gordon Flesch, urged commissioners to choose Canon equipment, describing Gordon Flesch as “a family owned business for the last 70 years” with local technical coverage and faster response time. Podman and other Gordon Flesch representatives emphasized service capacity, parts inventory and long-lived installations in nearby counties.

County IT Director Louie (first name not given) briefed the Board on the procurement process and grant timeline, saying the county issued a request for proposals to co-term existing agreements and that the court-technology grant required purchases to be completed soon. Louie said four bids were received: Access Systems (Sharp) at $173,618.24; Proven IT (Schaumburg) at $208,789.24; Konica Minolta (Rockford) at $237,677.24; and Gordon Flesch (Madison) at $267,453.08. Louie said the county’s preferred outcome was to align contract timelines countywide and noted references, service history and billing reliability were considered during evaluation.

Board debate focused on cost comparison and risk. Several commissioners — including William Hadley, Tim Whelan, Steve Frick and others — said the lower net cost of the Access Systems bid plus paid maintenance over five years made it preferable. Commissioner Hadley moved to accept the Access Systems bid, specifying inclusion of the $723.80/month maintenance agreement for five years and that the grant cover the expense; the motion was seconded by Tim Whelan and passed unanimously, 13-0.

An earlier motion by Luann Hayes to approve the Gordon Flesch bid (the higher bid for Canon equipment) failed on a roll call read by the clerk with a recorded vote of 5 ayes and 8 nays. (The clerk announced the tally as “5 a, 8 nay.”)

Commissioners clarified contract terms during the meeting. The county’s state’s attorney (Mr. Larson) reviewed contracts and requested “terms clarification,” which staff said had been addressed before the final vote; Louie confirmed the selected contracts would be five-year terms. Access Systems’ representative said the maintenance agreement includes replacement of machines at no additional cost if they cannot be repaired during the five-year maintenance window and that toner and service are included while parts remain available.

Several commissioners also asked how the grant could be applied. Louie said the court-technology grant must be tied to court-related functions, so one county facility (the nursing center) could not be included in the grant-funded purchases; he said county staff would consider reassigning machines to cover that facility’s needs. Louie said the grant’s specified line item for copiers was $267,000 and unspent grant funds would be forfeited if not used on eligible copier purchases.

The Board completed roll call following the second motion and approved Access Systems’ proposal 13-0. After the vote the Board adjourned the special meeting.

"We are in the business to try to save the taxpayers money," Nathan Johnson said while explaining Access Systems’ pricing and the option to fold maintenance into the purchase price. "For five years, we would not have to budget a line item for this."

The Board’s approval directs staff to finalize the purchase and maintenance contracts with Access Systems and to use the court-technology grant to fund the expense as allowed by grant terms.