Court braces for higher IT costs as RFPs, Windows 10 end-of-life loom

County staff and a commissioner outlined a timeline and cost drivers for moving to a managed IT model. Staff said three firms were interviewed under the RFP process but the bids were higher than court expectations and that the court would need to fund implementation if it selects an external vendor. "We invited 3 in for interviews... and the court looked at those 3 proposals and said, we're not gonna pay that," the County Judge said when discussing prior RFP results.

IT staff told the court that many machines run Windows 10 and must be replaced before a mid-October end-of-support date, and recommended replacing computers in phased groups. Staff estimated hardware replacement near $100,000 for the coming year and warned that software and managed service fees could add recurring costs; commissioners asked staff to provide final vendor responses and clearer revenue/expense timelines before committing dollars.

The court directed staff to continue negotiations with potential vendors and to return with cost scenarios that show near-term implementation costs and longer-term savings or maintenance impacts.