Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Information Technology Department or his designee to execute a non-standard Agreement with ePlus Technology, Inc. (ePlus), incorporating the terms of National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) Master Agreement 01-86 with Carahsoft Technology Corporation, for the purchase of software products and services for an amount not to exceed $553,036, for the term July 1, 2021 through November 30, 2023; and
b. Approve non-standard provisions as recommended by the Director of the Information Technology Department; and
c. Approve and authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute order confirmations and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement for the County’s purchase of ePlus products, services, and support; and
d. Approve and authorize the Director of Information Technology to execute up to three (3) amendments to this Agreement, extending the term by one (1) year each, subject to County Counsel approval, provided the terms of the Agreement remain substantially the same and provided the additional costs per year do not exceed ten percent (10%) of the cost of the original contract amount ($55,304 maximum).
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Information Technology Department or his designee to execute a non-standard Agreement with ePlus Technology, Inc. (ePlus), incorporating the terms of National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) Master Agreement 01-86 with Carahsoft Technology Corporation, for the purchase of software products and services for an amount not to exceed $553,036, for the term July 1, 2021 through November 30, 2023; and
b. Approve non-standard provisions as recommended by the Director of the Information Technology Department; and
c. Approve and authorize the Director of Information Technology, or his designee, to execute order confirmations and such documents as are necessary to implement the agreement for the County’s purchase of ePlus products, services, and support; and
d. Approve and authorize the Director of Information Technology to execute up to three (3) amendments to this Agreement, extending the term by one (1) year each, subject to County Counsel approval, provided the terms of the Agreement remain substantially the same and provided the additional costs per year do not exceed ten percent (10%) of the cost of the original contract amount ($55,304 maximum).
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
On October 2, 2018, the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance, under the lead of Region 14 Education Service Center (ESC) published a Request for Proposal (RFP #28-18) for Software Products and Services with the intent of establishing a Master Agreement for use by Region 14 ESC and other public agencies. On December 3, 2018 Region 14 ESC awarded Carahsoft Technology Corporation, an Information Technology solutions provider, the annual contract (NCPA 01-86) for Software Products and Services based upon their submitted proposal.
On May 27, 2021 Carahsoft issued Amendment #1 to their Cooperative Contract Reseller Agreement (#CCRA-SLT-031519) authorizing ePlus Technology, Inc. to quote on Carahsoft’s NCPA 01-86.
The County’s Information Technology Department (ITD) currently contracts with ePlus Technology, Inc., an authorized reseller of cloud storage services, for CommVault software to backup and recover the County’s cloud data. Through this proposed Master Agreement, ITD will be able to purchase additional services such as cybersecurity, data center, and network infrastructure services, Microsoft consulting, and cloud computing and storage solutions, including CommVault, Azure, AWS, and Wasabi NAS software.
Carahsoft was chosen as a technology vendor through competitive bidding. In the Master Agreement, Carahsoft agrees to provide government entities with discounted prices for various technologies, including cloud software, on terms which are non-standard to the County, but which are more favorable to government entities than many technology agreements.
The Director of Information Technology Department recommends that the Board approve County to purchase CommVault and Wasabi NAS cloud storage services utilizing the Master Agreement negotiated between the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance and Carahsoft Technology Corporation on the best terms and pricing available.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Office of County Counsel has reviewed this Agreement as to form and cannot approve due to the non-standard provisions.
FINANCING:
Funding has been included in the ITD FY 2021-22 Recommended Budget under Dept 1930, Appropriation INF002. Transactions relating to future fiscal years will be included in each respective Recommended Budget.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
The products and services provided pursuant to this Agreement will enable ITD to safely store and backup County data.
__Economic Development
X Administration
__Health & Human Services
X Infrastructure
__Public Safety
Prepared by: Rayna Patel, Management Analyst II, 759-6938
Approved by:
______________________________________ Date: _________
Eric A. Chatham, Director of Information Technology, 759-6920
Attachments:
Carahsoft Award Letter
NCPA Administration Agreement
NCPA Catalog
Carahsoft Reseller Agreement
ePlus Quote
Attachments on file with the Clerk of the Board