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District explores Optimiz contract to manage copier fleet, citing potential color‑reduction savings
Summary
Facilities staff proposed contracting with Optimiz and vendor EEKES to manage the district copier fleet and analysis tools; presentation estimated reducing color printing from ~24% to 10% could save about $56,160 annually and extend equipment life with improved maintenance.
Grand Island Public Schools staff on May 14 recommended contracting with Optimiz for data‑driven management of the district’s copier fleet and explained a vendor relationship with EEKES for equipment and service.
Virgil Harden, speaking to the board, described the problem: the district has a large fleet and reported a high current color‑print rate (about 24 percent), which he said increases costs and breaks machines down faster. Harden said an Optimiz arrangement would combine Optimiz’s monitoring and analytics with EEKES’ equipment and on‑site parts strategy to reduce downtime and operating costs.
Harden outlined the finance and operational rationale: paying cash for equipment rather than financing could save interest expense (he cited roughly $78,000 saved by paying cash in the equipment example), better spare‑parts availability could reduce service delays, and closer monitoring could extend average machine life at building workrooms by at least one year. He said the Optimiz model includes software monitoring that compares device metrics to vendor maintenance logs so the district can hold contractors accountable for parts replacement and service.
On savings, Harden used the example in staff materials: lowering the district’s color copy rate from roughly 24 percent to the educational standard of 10 percent could save the district about $56,160 per year; he said the firm offered a two‑year contract with an option to extend three more years, and committee members negotiated that shorter initial term.
Board members asked operational questions: how Optimiz enforces accountability (Harden said devices are networked to Optimiz software and the firm audits usage and maintenance schedules), whether spare parts remain district property (Harden said parts in an Optimiz arrangement would belong to the district while the contract is in force), and what behavioral steps reduce color copying (Harden described PaperCut user identification, defaulting printers to black‑and‑white, and moving color machines to more visible workrooms).
The presentation was informational; staff indicated action on a final contract could come later. No formal motion to enter the Optimiz agreement was recorded during the meeting.
