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Board staff flags vendor change and migration risk for dealer-portal IT project
Summary
Board staff reported the vendor's existing dealer-portal product will be sunset and recommended further review of a new platform (Evoque), noting $250,000 already spent, unclear migration costs and outstanding DMV integration work.
Board staff updated members on the dealer-portal project, warning that the vendor’s current platform is being sunset and a newer offering (referred to as "Evoque") may require migration and additional expense.
Executive director William Childress told the board the portal automation project begun in 2020 has run into data-interface issues with DMV systems and that the vendor has signaled a sunset timeline for the version the board contracted to use. Staff reported roughly $250,000 in payments to date and said maintenance-account funds were available but that total future costs were unknown.
"There will be a cost involved with that," Childress said as staff described options to either finish the existing implementation or migrate to the vendor’s new platform sooner to avoid training overlap and imminent deprecation. Board members asked for a demo and additional vendor detail before authorizing any migration, and staff committed to returning with more information at the January meeting.
Board members expressed concern about sunk costs, integration with DMV databases, and whether the board is tied to the current vendor. Staff said the new platform appeared to be an iteration of the existing product, not a full rewrite, but confirmed additional discovery and a demo were necessary before the board would make procurement decisions.
What happens next: staff will seek a vendor demonstration, clarify migration and maintenance costs, confirm what data and interfaces are required by DMV, and return recommendations to the board at a future meeting. The board asked staff to explore alternative vendor options if the current vendor cannot offer a viable path without disproportionate new expense.
