Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Penobscot County to piggyback state email-security contract after review; motion passes unanimously
Summary
The county voted to accept a three-year email-security contract available under the State of Maine agreement after staff presented a vendor quote for Mimecast that would lower annual costs versus the current Barracuda renewal; commissioners agreed to pursue a formal RFP policy going forward.
Penobscot County commissioners on March 18 authorized staff to proceed with an email-security contract available under a State of Maine procurement that staff said would be cheaper and offer improved security features.
IT Director Kenny presented a vendor quote (Mimecast, via Gov Connection) that, he said, would cost roughly $17,600 per year on a three‑year contract and provide free months through Nov. 30, 2026, if the county signs before the quote expires at month‑end. Kenny told commissioners the county currently pays about $21,000 annually for its Barracuda service and that the state contract caps price increases at roughly 3% above the awarded price.
The administrator said the county should normally run its own RFP to ensure due diligence, and staff agreed to pursue a formal procurement policy clarifying when piggybacking on state contracts is permitted. Several commissioners voiced support for locking in a three‑year price if a locally run RFP could not match the state terms in time. A commissioner moved to accept the director’s recommendation to proceed under the state contract terms if the local RFP did not yield better terms; the motion passed on a unanimous voice vote.
The commission agreed to pursue a written RFP policy so future procurements follow a consistent county practice, and staff said they would follow up with the contract documents and next steps for implementation.
The county will notify the board and post the executed contract if staff proceeds with the state‑authorized agreement; any formal contract award and related purchase orders will follow the county’s purchasing rules.
