The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 16 authorized a contract with Zones Inc. for Microsoft Government Cloud Enterprise services in an amount not to exceed $2,160,715.76 annually for a three-year period, with options to renew for two additional one-year periods.

The contract (IFB 2024-074) was moved by Commissioner Myers and seconded by Commissioner Allenbrand and passed by roll call 7-0. David Nixon of the county’s Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI) answered commissioners’ questions about costs and expected savings.

Nixon told the board the county currently spends about $150,000 a year on an eDiscovery solution and that the Microsoft agreement would reduce that cost “almost in half,” saving roughly $74,000 in the first year and potentially eliminating that expense the following year. He also said the county anticipates a future reduction of roughly $180,000 a year for Cisco-related phone-system costs once migration is complete, noting timing depends on rollout schedules and related contract obligations.

Nixon said the county evaluated multiple configurations and chose an option that increases near-term contract cost by about 55 percent compared with the base plan because it provides additional security and feature sets the county needs. He described some cost savings as “soft” or operational — for example, fewer external contracts and faster ability to detect security incidents — and said the procurement team sought the best price structure through a broker arrangement.

Commissioners asked about return on investment and the practical benefits of the new capabilities. Commissioner Ashcraft said he supported the contract but urged staff to continue documenting expected returns beyond pure dollar savings, calling out improved service delivery and security as part of the ROI. Commissioner Brewer noted the multi-agency participation in the solicitation and the need for a phased roll-out to avoid service interruptions during migration.

The contract will cover software and services for core county departments and participating entities that will use the agreement, including DTI, Parks and Recreation, the Library, Consolidated Fire District 2 and other county partners listed in the procurement materials. Nixon said the county budget included anticipated funding for the transition and that some existing contracts were shortened to allow overlap while agencies migrate to the new services.

No implementation schedule was provided in the board discussion beyond the comment that some savings will materialize in 2025 and additional reductions in subsequent years as legacy contracts expire and services are migrated.