Title
a. Authorize the Chief Information Officer or his designee to execute a Non-Standard Agreement with ePlus Technology Incorporated, a re-seller of technology goods and services, incorporating the terms of the existing Master Technology Agreement with The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS), 230105, Technology Solutions, Products and Services through May 31, 2028, in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000; and
b. Authorize the Chief Information Officer or his designee to sign order forms and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement with ePlus Technology for the purchase of technology products and services; and
c. Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Chief Information; and
d.Authorize the Chief Information Officer the option to extend the agreement up to three (3) additional one (1) year period through May 31, 2031, and sign associated Order Forms provided that additional total costs do not exceed 10% of the original contract amount ($100,000 total maximum cost increase per year), and so long as the Order Forms do not significantly alter the terms of the Master Technology Agreement, even if no additional Agreements are entered into, subject to County Counsel review.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Authorize the Chief Information Officer or his designee to execute a Non-Standard Agreement with ePlus Technology Incorporated, a re-seller of technology goods and services, incorporating the terms of the existing Master Technology Agreement with The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS), 230105, Technology Solutions, Products and Services through May 31, 2028, in an amount not to exceed $1,000,000; and
b. Authorize the Chief Information Officer or his designee to sign order forms and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement with ePlus Technology for the purchase of technology products and services; and
c. Accept non-standard contract provisions as recommended by the Chief Information; and
d.Authorize the Chief Information Officer the option to extend the agreement up to three (3) additional one (1) year period through May 31, 2031, and sign associated Order Forms provided that additional total costs do not exceed 10% of the original contract amount ($100,000 total maximum cost increase per year), and so long as the Order Forms do not significantly alter the terms of the Master Technology Agreement, even if no additional Agreements are entered into, subject to County Counsel review.
SUMMARY:
The approval of this Agreement will allow the County to adopt and participate in the government cooperative TIPS Contract 230105, Technology Solutions, Products and Services. One of the technology resellers selected is ePlus Technology Incorporated (ePlus), which offers the necessary technology solutions, advisory and managed services across the technology spectrum, including security, cloud, networking, collaboration, and artificial intelligence.
DISCUSSION:
The County of Monterey has been a member of The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) since 2017. TIPS is a purchasing cooperative for government entities. The lead agency is Region 8 Education Service Center (ESC), a public governmental entity. ePlus was one of the technology resellers selected for TIPS Contract 230105, Technology Solutions, Products, and Services.
The TIPS agreement will achieve significant savings in time and money in contract production as well as lower contract prices through economies of scale. Furthermore, cooperative agreements such as the TIPS master agreement maintain public confidence through ethical and transparent competitive procurement practices consistent with County procurement policy.
This agreement simplifies County savings and vendor usage by providing:
• Standardized negotiated pricing on large manufacturer equipment such as Cisco, Palo Alto, APC, Polycom, Dell, NetApp, and Mitel.
• Standardized negotiated pricing on large software company products such as Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle, VMware, and Veeam Cyber Secure.
• Standardized negotiated professional services and support for variety of fields such as Network Consulting, System Consulting, Security Consulting, and Unified Communications Consulting.
• Standardized discounted pricing on all hardware, software, and services for manufacturers not specially defined or negotiated in the TIPs agreement.
The Chief Information Officer recommends the approval of this proposed Agreement.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed. Auditor-Controller reviewed the contract but does not agree to the non-standard payment provisions.
FINANCING:
Required funds will be included in each respective Recommended Budget for the Information Technology Department, ITD 1930, Appropriations Unit INF002.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The Interlocal Purchasing System Program (TIPS) is a cost savings procurement method for software, hardware products, and services that may be utilized when procuring IT-related products and services.
__Economic Development
__Administration
__Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
X Public Safety
Prepared by: Sandra Shaffer, Management Analyst III, 759-6957
Approved by: Eric A. Chatham, Cheif Information Officer, 759-6920
Attachments:
TIPS RFP 230105 Vendor Agreement with ePlus Technology, Incorporated
<https://www.tips-usa.com/vendorProfile.cfm?RecordID=08F3320815938A70F70D6E39158E0882>