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<br />CASE # 3 <br /> <br />REQUEST TO PURCHASE NEW COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEM <br />FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT <br />By: Jeffrey Arneson, Police Investigator <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />On May 11, 1993, the Finance Committee approved the Police Department's request to <br />solicit bids for a new computer network system. There were three options available: #1) <br />Adding a PC system with Novell Network to the TI990 mini computer; #2) Replacement <br />of the current TI990 mini computer with another mini computer plus adding a PC system <br />with Novell Network; and #3) Replacement of the current TI990 mini computer with a PC <br />system with Novell Network. Bids were advertised in the Anoka Union on May 21, 1993, <br />and a mailing to computer dealers in the yellow pages was made. We received requests for <br />bid information from 11 vendors. The bids closed at 2:00 p.m. on June 16, 1993. At that <br />time we had two bids submitted. Both bids were for the fist listed option. No bids were <br />received on the replacement of the TI990. Both of the bids meet the basic requirements of <br />the bid request. <br /> <br />Hardware and software only, no maintenance contract price included: <br /> <br />Software Tailors <br />AmeriData <br /> <br />$25,108 <br />25,291 <br /> <br />Hardware, software and maintenance contract: <br /> <br />Software Tailors <br />AmeriData <br /> <br />$27,328 <br />27,295 <br /> <br />(Note: Above bids have several distinct differences that should be taken into consideration. <br /> <br />#1: Training: Software Tailors supervisor/administrator training is four hours where <br />AmeriData is a three day class. <br /> <br />#2: Maintenance Contract: Software Tailors telephone support is based on $60 an hour <br />while AmeriData is a flat $500 per year. <br /> <br />A copy of each bid and the comparison breakdown of each bid is attached. <br /> <br />The cost of this system will be funded from the equipment replacement fund. <br /> <br />During the research for this project some on-going system administration information was <br />received. Some sources estimate that the time involved for the system administrator will <br />run from 10% to 50%. This includes making backups, problem solving, adding new <br />software, updating security codes, and cleaning of equipment. Since some of this work <br />will be delegated to users with the system administrator in an overseer position, I do not <br />believe that the total time will be much more than 10%. This will increase as the <br />department grows and the use of the system is increased. At some point in the future, <br />additional personnel will have to be hired to make up the time that the system administrator <br />is devoting to the computer system. One additional ongoing operational costs of this <br />system will be a maintenance contract for the hardware and software. <br /> <br />II <br />