Creole County staff briefed commissioners July 28 that an IT RFP and recent proposals suggest the county’s current IT maintenance budget will not cover the services vendors offered, and the court should expect higher costs in FY2026.
Lede: The county issued an RFP for IT services; initial proposals indicate maintenance and managed-service costs will be higher than what staff had been budgeting based on older contracts. Staff said they may need to augment the IT maintenance line in non-departmental to negotiate a vendor contract that meets county needs.
Why it matters: Managed IT services cover critical functions — help desk, servers, backups and software support. Commissioners were told that absent additional funding, the county could see a service reduction or increased risk while transitioning to a new vendor. Staff cautioned the proposals are derived from requests submitted some years ago and that market rates have changed.
Details and outcome: Staff flagged an increase in the non-departmental IT-maintenance number and asked the court to accept a higher amount pending vendor selection. Commissioners requested clearer line-item detail and expressed willingness to revisit the IT budget during the workshop; no final contract was approved in the meeting.
Ending: Staff will return with a vendor-cost comparison, recommended funding increase and contract terms for commissioners to review before any award.