Council approves Dicar Networks renewal subject to verification of devices and costs

The Monte Sereno City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to the city's IT services agreement with Dicar Networks after members pressed staff for an inventory and verification of covered devices and per-unit costs. Staff said the original contract began in December 2021 and had since expired; the amendment would update the vendor contact, extend the agreement with no fixed end date and change the vendor termination notice from 15 to 30 days.

Councilmembers raised repeated concerns that some older desktop machines remain on the vendor's count even though they have been decommissioned and that added software licenses have increased charges over the four-year engagement. "I have a hard time approving this tonight," said a council member who requested an itemized count and price-per-unit comparison before final sign-off. City staff said they are transitioning from desktops to laptops and expect to remove unused devices once they are wiped and disposed of.

The city attorney advised the council that the contract had already expired but that the city could authorize the city manager to sign the renewal after confirmation of unit counts and costs. The council moved to approve the amendment subject to that verification and gave the city manager authority to execute the agreement if the counts and pricing are consistent; if a significant increase is found, the matter will be returned to council. "You could authorize the city manager to sign the contract on confirmation of the units," the city attorney said during the discussion.

The decision aims to maintain continuity of IT services while ensuring the city is not billed for equipment that no longer exists. Councilmembers asked staff to provide the vendor's sample invoices and the lead abatement of unit inventory for review prior to final execution.