In 2006, the City developed a Five-Year Strategic Plan for Technology. As part of that plan, it was determined that staff needed to establish a lease program for computer replacements. This has benefited the City by providing a mechanism to budget more consistently for computers and has rotated our desktop and notebook computers, keeping the City more current with industry standards.
This lease will include the replacement of approximately 330 computers for the following departments/divisions:
- Police
- Fire Administration
- Parks & Recreation
- Community Services (City Hall)
- Finance
- HR
- IT
- Community Development (City Hall)
- Community Enhancement (City Hall)
The proposed lease agreement with Dell Financial Services utilizes state contract pricing through the State of Texas Department of Information Resources (Texas DIR). The total cost of $628,198 over the four year lease term includes $576,251 for the cost of the equipment plus $18,720 for service costs such as the imaging of hard drives, delivery, set-up, and removal of and wiping of machines at the lease term, with the remaining balance being the interest on the lease. An option to purchase the equipment at the end of the lease term in the 49th month is available for a final payment in the amount of $19,287. Alternatively, the equipment can be returned at the end of the 48th month with entry into a lease for new hardware.
This lease marks the point that the majority of new systems are selected with mobility in mind. Instead of desktop PCs, most employees will move to a laptop setup. This allows them to not only be more productive by bringing laptops to meetings for collaborative work sessions, but also enables selected members of the staff to work from home or other locations where appropriate. This enhanced flexibility creates a more agile workforce for the City of Allen.