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Council approves bid waiver to buy 80 desktops; Fishbein votes no
Summary
The council approved a bid waiver to purchase 80 desktop computers to replace devices at end of life; Information Technology said buying direct from manufacturers avoids "deal registrations" that can raise prices 20–30%. The waiver passed 8–1 with Councilor Fishbein dissenting.
The Wallingford Town Council on July 14 approved a bid waiver permitting the purchase of 80 desktop computers, with an 8–1 roll-call vote. Councilor Fishbein cast the lone dissent.
Chuck Carroza, the town's new information technology director, said the replacements are necessary because several departments have machines running operating systems that are at end-of-life. "We need to upgrade a number of departments to PCs that have expiring OSes that are coming at end of life and no longer supported," Carroza said.
Carroza explained the administration solicited quotes directly from manufacturers — Dell, Lenovo and HP — rather than through resellers. He said that reseller "deal registrations" can lock in higher prices and that buying direct is expected to save the town 20–30 percent. "When you take out the actual vendors and you go straight to the actual supplier, you don't have to deal with deal registrations, which end up being 20%–30% higher," he said.
Councilor Fishbein pressed whether the practice is the manufacturers' rule and questioned the procurement approach. "It just doesn't seem like good government," Fishbein said, adding later that he remained unconvinced that the state contract had been sufficiently considered. Carroza responded that state contract pricing had been reviewed and that the direct approach is expected to be lower in their estimates.
Carroza said monitors are not included in the purchase and that keyboards and mice will be wired to avoid battery-related issues; he said available monitors will suffice for the planned deployments. The town will proceed with the purchase under the approved waiver and use its purchasing processes to complete the order.
Roll-call votes were recorded as: Allison: yes; Carmody: yes; Fishbein: no; Laffin: yes; Reynolds: yes; Brevard: yes; Versace: yes; Tata/Tada: yes; Testa: yes. The waiver passed and procurement can proceed.
