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Council approves multiple IT contracts amid questions about sole-sourcing and staffing
Summary
Council approved three IT items — a $127,362.10 Office 365 tenant setup, a $310,676.02 VDI/hardware upgrade and a $508,176 managed-services contract — while councilors questioned sole-source reliance on Custom Computer Specialists and asked whether more work could be brought in-house.
City staff presented a package of IT procurements and contracts to update the city's virtual-desktop and cloud infrastructure and to continue managed services with Custom Computer Specialists (CCS). The items were described as budgeted and intended to improve cybersecurity, continuity and daily IT operations.
Craig, the city's director of IT, explained that the Office 365 tenant configuration is $127,362.10; the VDI and backup hardware item totals $310,676.02; and a managed-services staffing and support contract would not exceed $508,176. Councilors repeatedly asked whether the city was improperly sole-sourcing work to CCS; Craig said the firm has long institutional knowledge of the city's systems and is on a state master purchasing agreement (MPA). "We are, they are pretty much sole source," he said when asked about vendor concentration, adding the vendor has provided managed services and intimate system knowledge for many years.
Councilors also asked whether some services could be performed in-house to save money; Craig said the department is small and that building internal capacity could reduce contracted spending over time but would require hiring and investment. All IT items were described as currently budgeted and were approved by the council.
