Board fails to approve $3.66 million Infor financial software subscription after procurement questions
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Summary
The Waterbury Board of Aldermen declined to approve a proposed 10-year, $3.655 million Infor CloudSuite subscription after debate about the lack of an RFP and whether the measure met the board's 11-vote threshold; a roll-call showed 10 yes and 4 no votes and the motion failed.
The Waterbury Board of Aldermen voted on March 23 on a proposed 10-year subscription with Infor LLC for the Infor CloudSuite public-sector financial management system, a contract the administration priced at about $3,655,365. The motion was made by Alderman Moseley and seconded by Alderman Rinaldi but failed to reach the board's 11-vote threshold.
Michael LeBlanc, the city's director of finance, told the committee the administration has used Infor (formerly Lawson) for nearly two decades and that the current on-premises system will be unsupported after 2030. LeBlanc said the city negotiated a pricing structure with annual increases he described as 3–4% and that switching vendors would risk losing institutional knowledge.
Alderwoman Martinez McCarthy and others repeatedly asked why the purchase had not been put out for competitive bid. "Did this go out to RFP?" Martinez McCarthy asked. LeBlanc replied, "No. It did not. We have been with the Infor Lawson system suite since the mid-2000s," and described prior investments and staff familiarity as key considerations.
Dan Arapino, the city's IT director, described the city's "best of breed" approach: financials would be centralized in the new cloud suite while specialized modules (tax, permitting) would continue to operate in their current systems and upload data into the central ledger. Arapino defended the security and efficiencies of a cloud deployment, saying vendors will host data on Amazon Web Services.
Opponents cited lack of competitive procurement and long contract duration. At full board roll call the chair announced the results as 10 yes and 4 no—short of the stated 11-vote requirement for that item—and declared the motion failed; the chair said the item will be taken up again at a future meeting.
What happens next: With the motion failing for lack of the required board threshold, the administration may reintroduce the item at a future meeting, provide additional procurement documentation, or pursue alternative procurement approaches.
Speakers quoted: Michael LeBlanc, director of finance; Dan Arapino, IT director; Alderwoman Martinez McCarthy.
Ending: The board deferred final action on the Infor CloudSuite subscription after the failed vote; the proposal may be revised or reintroduced with additional procurement details at a subsequent meeting.
