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Finance committee directs staff to seek bids on proposed 24-month cellphone contract extension
Summary
City procurement staff reported that a proposed 24-month extension would not change base rates but could raise costs by about $48,000 over two years because citywide tablets were added; the committee voted to direct staff to solicit competitive bids and report back.
City procurement staff told the Finance Committee on May 12 that a proposed 24-month extension of the city's cellphone contract would keep base pricing but could raise overall costs because the city added tablets and other units to the contract.
Procurement manager Tom Winsky explained that the contract restructure in 2023 carried base pricing forward but the addition of tablets across departments is the primary driver of higher annual costs. He said the tablets pushed monthly usage from roughly $3,700 to about $5,600, explaining that the extra devices account for the majority of the increased expense.
A member of the public, Frank Torres of 1215 Smith Street, urged caution and said the carrier has experienced major outages for residential customers in the past year, noting that residents deserve assurance the city reviewed alternatives. "The CellCom brand hasn't necessarily had... the best year as far as your residential user," Torres said.
Committee members asked whether data pools are shared, whether assigned devices could be consolidated, and whether FirstNet or other state contracts should be considered for first responders. Because members wanted competitive comparisons and transparency for residents, the committee voted to direct staff to solicit bids and return with results before exercising any 24-month extension.
