Agenda Packets - 1985/01/14 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: Mayor 6 Council I FROM: Don Brager, Finance Director Steve Thatcher, Public Works Director DATE: January 16, 1985 RE: COMPUTER CONSULTANT PROPOSALS The 1985 Finance Department budget provides $20,000 for the purchase of a computer for the Department and the hiring of a computer consult- ant. A computer consultant would assist Council and Staff in assess- ing our current and future data processing needs, developing system alternatives, choosing a system and developing specifications, bidding and selection of a system, and implementation of the new system. Public Works Director Thatcher and I served as a committee of the Department Head Team and interviewed computer consulting firms. We requested and received proposals from three firms: 1) Public Technology Inc. $29,844 2) Management Advisors, Inc. $10,000 - $13,000 3) DSM, Inc. $ 7,860 Public Technology, Inc. is considered the "technical arm" of the National League of Cities (NLC) and the international City Manager's Association (ICMA). The firm has an impressive list of clients it has served throughout the United States. We did not seriously consider their proposal due to cost and no experience in Minnesota. Management Advisors, Inc. is based in Englewood, Colorado and has an office in Minneapolis. We learned of the firm from the City of Inver Grove Heights, where they have completed a consulting assignment. The firm's proposal is divided into three phases: I Define System Requirements II Develop cost analysis of System alternatives III Select processing alternative Each phase is priced independently of the other phases and the proposed contract would allow the City to cancel the contract upon completion of each phase, if desired. We contacted several of the firms refer- ences and all expressed a high level of satisfaction with the firm's services. In addition Robert Voto, President of Voto, Reardon, Tautges, the firm which conducts the City's annual audit, has worked with Management Advisors, Inc. and has found them to be very techni- cally competent and believes that the firm has a good grasp of the accounting and financial requirements of Minnesota cities. DSM, Inc, is based in Coon Rapids. The principal of the firm, Dave McCauley, has a good background in data processing and has a good knowledge of the needs of cities having served as both Mayor and Councilmember in Coon Rapids. DSM, Inc, proposes to take an approach to that of Management Advisors, Inc. in that the project would consist of the same phases. A check of four of the references provided by the firm indicates that two clients were highly satisfied and two