The Chief Information Officer recommends that City Council approve an ordinance to appropriate $1,099,250.00 from the FY15 Equipment Acquisition Consolidated Fund (1800) for the purchase of computers, peripherals and professional services for various departments. Additional dollars may be spent to purchase PC equipment by individual departments dependent upon the dollars that each department has budgeted. This is the initial appropriation in a multi-year capital effort to refresh older personal computer equipment.
Houston Information Technology Services (HITS) is requesting the appropriation of these dollars to purchase computers, peripherals, professional consulting services and installation services to replace PCs in various departments that are currently several (1 to 5) years past the maximum life span for computers. It is imperative that these assets be replaced, as older PCs become costly to support and are unable to keep up with the demands of current computer applications/software. PCs past the maximum life span also require more service calls due to expired warranties.
During this equipment replacement project/process, Houston Information Technology Services (HITS) will develop and maintain a refresh schedule, develop an inventory on the age of the assets and track the progress of the replacements using Microsoft System Center (MSC), an existing configuration management and PC asset management software. All City departments are in the scope of this project with the exception of the Houston Police Department (HPD), the Houston Airport System (HAS), the Public Works & Engineering Department (PWE) and the City Controller’s Office (CTR), as these departments fund their own PC replacements.
The estimated purchases with approximate allocations are as follows:
Equipment & Installation Services – This request is for the purchase and installation of desktop, laptops, memory and peripherals such as: monitors, mice and keyboards. HITS is currently working with the Strategic Purchasing Division (SPD) and the Legal Department (LGL) to purchase equipment and services. Once the process is finalized, HITS and SPD will come back to Council for approval as needed. - $875,650
Professional Consulting Services – This request is to acquire temporary personnel services of a Project Manager and a Software Change and Configuration Management (SCCM) Engineer to: analyze and document the physical inventory of all existing equipment, including applications and software; work with HITS’ staff to profile and recommend a deployment plan; identity and specify the equipment/software necessary for successful deployment; recommend implementation phases, which will include site sequencing and timelines; establish performance management objectives, strategies and metrics to uphold the deployment; develop and administer a deployment schedule; provide oversight of the project’s progress and targets; and provide a go-forward plan for out-year PC replacements . HITS will work with the Human Resources Department to utilize the City of Houston’s current temporary employee staffing services contract. - $223,600
WBS # X-680006*