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County CIO briefs council on plan to rebid IT services, cybersecurity upgrades and RFP process
Summary
Vanderburgh County CIO Verne told the council the county will engage Crowe Consulting to write an RFP to rebid IT managed services after a 20-year run with the incumbent; the process aims to define cybersecurity responsibilities, leverage state grants (including CrowdStrike deployment) and identify potential cost savings.
Vanderburgh County’s chief information officer, Verne, briefed the council on April 1 about plans to rebid the county’s IT managed-services contract, noting the current arrangement has not been competitively solicited in roughly 20 years.
Verne said the county has contracted Crowe Consulting to perform a review and write the RFP to solicit proposals for comprehensive IT services, with the goal of clarifying vendor responsibilities — especially cybersecurity — and improving transparency and cost-effectiveness. "We are currently working with Crowe Consulting to do a review of IT services," Verne said, adding that the current contract ends in December and rebidding will allow the county to specify needed tools and monitoring.
Verne described recent cybersecurity investments and grant activity: the county has implemented CrowdStrike under a state cybersecurity grant and maintains 24/7 monitoring tools procured through Cisco; he said some services currently paid for could be consolidated or replaced as part of the RFP process to produce savings. Verne estimated a realistic annual market range for full managed services for a municipality this size is roughly $3.5 million to $6 million depending on service scope and capacity, and he warned low bids may lack the necessary capacity.
Council members praised the transparency and urged that the committee overseeing selection include elected officials and key stakeholders. One council member noted the current vendor’s long tenure and recommended a formal oversight structure involving council, mayor, and commissioners for final award decisions. Verne said he envisions a selection committee with representation from stakeholders and departmental staff and welcomed council input on membership.
Verne said the RFP and selection timeline should be brought forward to the Board of Public Works and the commissioners in the coming weeks and that the CIO’s office will work to ensure required cybersecurity capabilities are contractually specified.
