Purchasing computer products and services for state and local government offices doesn't have to be difficult.
Most government agencies and departments are burdened with managing multiple vendors and contracts. As a result, they spend too much time and money determining which vendor offers the best deals and warranties, whether the products they buy will be compatible with what they already have, and what type of training will be required.
Purchasing issues like these can interfere with the business of government and its service to the citizen. To ensure investments in technology help improve operations and service, local governments have a way to streamline their desktop purchasing process. They can choose a single prime vendor who provides a comprehensive desktop computer program that includes products and services from multiple vendors without multiple contracts.
This integrated approach offers numerous benefits, including increased efficiency, increased cost savings, a streamlined purchasing process, less administrative burden, and a broader range of products and services.
A single prime vendor can provide consulting services to help decide the best combination of technologies from industry vendors, manage the relationships with all vendors, and provide government personnel with a single point of contact. Furthermore, this vendor can provide valuable services that most governments simply do not have time or resources to employ, such as training, installation and maintenance. These services can help government measure and track the value of its investment.
Recognizing and believing in these benefits, officials from the state of Michigan decided last year to enter into an agreement that marks the first time a state has turned to a single prime vendor to provide all its desktop computing needs.
Under the Michigan End User Computing contract, more than 52,000 end users across the state’s 23 agencies and departments now have one-stop shopping for all their desktop computing needs, including hardware, software, networking and other value-added services.
During the first year of this two-year contract, Michigan officials have discovered firsthand that consolidated buying through a single prime vendor provides significant advantages over buying through local resellers. Savings are achieved by driving down costs of products and services through volume discounts and the global purchasing power of their chosen prime vendor.
John Kost, Michigan’s chief information officer, describes this program as “a truly groundbreaking contract that is reducing costs and administrative burdens while improving Michigan’s computing standards, service and opportunities to prepare for the future.”
Michigan End User Computing has been very successful. During the first 11 months of the contract, more than 2,700 orders were processed, nearly 51,000 hardware and software units were delivered, and over 3,500 employees were trained.
More importantly, the standard delivery time for products and services has decreased from several months to 30 days or less. The turnaround time can be as short as 24 hours for some items. In addition, Michigan’s primary vendor is currently working on an electronic catalogue that will further reduce costs and improve efficiency by removing much of the paper from the buying process.
County officials can benefit by taking a look at what Michigan is doing because a similar program can be applied and work well at the local level. This comprehensive approach to managing desktop products and services is the best model currently available. It not only saves time and money, it helps improve efficiency for better service to the public.
(For assistance from NACoNET, NACo’s information technology service, call toll-free 1/800/551-2323. Any comments, questions or suggestions for future topics can be sent to: Technology News, c/o County News, 440 First St., N.W., Washington, DC, 20001, or fax to: 202/737-0480.)
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