In 2011, the Town commenced a program to upgrade the Town's information technology (“IT”) to enhance operational efficiencies as well as provide our residents with greater access to information to improve our government transparency. As part of this program the Town Council approved Resolution 11-897 in May 2011, which allowed the Town to piggyback several state, federal, and cooperative contracts for the procurement of IT hardware and software.

In the last year, the State contract with SHI International (“SHI”) and the Federal contract with Dell Marketing L.P. (“Dell”) have expired and both government agencies have negotiated new contracts with each entity. The new State contract, No. 43230000-15-02, with SHI is effective until January 31, 2019, at which point it will be eligible for another three-year renewal term, and the new Federal contract with Dell, GS-35F-059DA, is effective until November 19, 2020. The Town has spent an average of about $111,200 per year over the past three years on IT equipment and software, which includes operational expenses such as licenses for Office 365 subscriptions and capital improvement projects such as the Wi-Fi Expansion Project for Town Parks and the network infrastructure for the new Miami Lakes Optimist Clubhouse.

Piggybacking state, federal, and cooperative contracts for the procurement of IT hardware and software gives the Town the necessary flexibility to pursue our goals of better communication, transparency, public participation, and having a smart and connected community in accordance with our Strategic Plan. In addition to saving on administrative costs, utilizing state, federal, and cooperative purchasing contracts has been the most time and cost-efficient means for procuring IT hardware and software. The low pricing available on these contracts is due to the significantly greater volumes of requirements these larger entities can leverage to take advantage of economies of scale. Through these contracts, the Town has access to pricing it would not otherwise be able to obtain through the formal competitive bidding process.

Piggybacking on the federal, state and cooperative contracts and has proven to be the most efficient and cost-effective method for procuring IT hardware and software. For the reasons stated above, it is recommended the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to continue accessing Federal GSA Contract GS-35F-059DA, and State Contract No. 43230000-15-02 for the procurement of IT equipment and software.