Title
Chief Administrative Office, Procurement & Contracts Division, on behalf of Information Technologies (IT), recommending the Board:
1) Authorize the Fixed Asset addition of twelve (12) servers and two (2) network switching devices for the Department of Information Technologies to the FY 2021-22 budget;
2) Waive formal bid requirements in accordance with Purchasing Ordinance 3.12.160, exemptions from competitive process, Section D;
3) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to utilize National Association of State Procurement Officials competitively bid contract MNWNC-109 from SidePath, Inc. for the acquisition of twelve (12) servers (VxRail P670F 7-Node Cluster, VxRail E660F 5-Node Cluster) and two (2) network switching devices (2GbE Connectivity); and
4) Authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue a purchase order in the amount of $837,874.40 including applicable taxes and fees for server and switch equipment.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The current server infrastructure data storage system was purchased in fiscal year 2015-16 and will no longer be supported by the vendor beginning in mid-fiscal year 2022-23. IT management and staff have chosen Dell hardware because current staff has significant expertise using Dell hardware and associated management tools. Dell's management tools integrate with underlying VMWare ESXi server operating system and the architecture uses a hyper-converged server and storage system that will improve system resilience and disaster recoverability.
The IT 2021-22 budget includes line items for $400,000 for the server refresh project and $16,667 for associated licenses, maintenance, and support. The actual cost of equipment is $514,060.57. The actual 3-year cost for associated licenses, maintenance, and support is $323,813.83, with approximately $54,000 anticipated to be expensed within FY 21/22.
This increase in cost is due to changes in manufacturer hardware specifications and proposed architecture. The change in architecture includes adding data storage for all on-premise data to this new system. The current data storage system is end-of-life and was slated to be replaced in FY 2023-24. By adding the storage in conjunction with the new server architecture, IT will not need to budget for data storage in the next year’s budget. The data storage replacement cost was previously quoted at approximately $418,000 plus tax, so savings will be maximized by making this upgrade concurrently. Additional savings will also be incurred by the elimination of annual warranty and support costs for existing equipment, which is estimated at $27,000 per year.
Per Policy C-17, the Board of Supervisors approval is required for purchases of goods in the amount greater than $100,000.
SidePath, Inc. will also perform the installation, implementation, and training process on a separate service contract.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Procurements and Contracts, Chief Administrative Office
CAO RECOMMENDATION / COMMENTS
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
IT will be able to cover the costs of the equipment and support within the FY 2021-22 budget. The overages from the original line-item budget are anticipated to be covered by savings in other line items. The ongoing license, support, and warranty costs will be budgeted for future years.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
N/A
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
Tonya Digiorno, Director of Information Technologies