Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Finance committee recommends board OK for new systemwide Zoom agreement worth up to $13.65 million
Summary
Trustees’ finance committee approved a seven‑year agreement with Carahsoft to continue systemwide Zoom services, citing heavy reliance on the platform for instruction and operations; staff said the model addresses Zoom’s 2025 licensing changes and includes a campus cost‑sharing approach.
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities finance and facilities committee voted to recommend board approval of a new agreement with Carahsoft Technology Corp. to provide Zoom services systemwide for up to seven years at a not‑to‑exceed value of $13,650,000.
System staff told trustees the contract is meant to preserve access to a communications and classroom platform used broadly across the system. "Today, more than 14,000 employees and students use Zoom across the system, and they host over 69,000 meetings each month," a system presenter said, adding that more than 1,000 Zoom rooms are deployed in classrooms and meeting spaces. Procurement will proceed using the NASPO ValuePoint cooperative purchasing vehicle with competitively sourced pricing and standardized terms.
Presenters told the committee Zoom’s 2025 licensing change—from individual product licenses to bundled packages—created concern about cost increases and duplication with existing Microsoft and Google tools. System staff said they negotiated options with Zoom and are proposing a model that lets the system purchase central licenses while campuses pay for locally required services where appropriate; that model includes the ability to license Zoom phone separately and to share costs between central and campus budgets.
Trustees asked whether a unified communications platform might emerge by the time this contract ends and whether Microsoft Teams could replace Zoom for academic uses. System technology staff said Teams offers overlapping capabilities but that Zoom rooms carry a packaged classroom workflow many faculty prefer post‑pandemic. The vice president for technology strategy and the system director for educational development and technology joined the discussion to answer technical and classroom‑use questions.
The motion to recommend the Carahsoft/Zoom agreement was moved and seconded and passed unanimously on a roll call in committee; the committee record shows the vote as unanimous. The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full board for consideration at a subsequent meeting.
Next steps: Staff will include the full contract materials in the board packet and continue to monitor vendor roadmaps and integration opportunities with Microsoft and other campus platforms.
