The district should eventually move towards a new phone system leveraging Internet Protocol (IP); however, I fear our district does not understand the new system's true costs.
In tough economic times, understanding costs is vital, especially when the urgency of replacing the existing phone network is suspect. We need all the facts and have faith every dollar is being spent wisely.
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Danielle,
My name is Megan Turnbull. I am a Durham resident with some questions related to the proposed phone system upgrade. After reviewing the numbers, I feel that they may be a little low. Your presentation shows the total cost at $125,000 with initial costs of $80,000; please show the breakdown of both these figures. I realize that you are basing them on an initial quotations, but I am sure you have some breakdown from your vendor contacts. More specifically, please answer the following:
1) How much will the actual head-end equipment / router cost?
2) How much will the software license cost to run the system? Is there an annual fee associated with this that must be paid to the vendor?
3) How much are the new hand sets?
4) How many hand-sets are we ordering?
5) How much is budgeted for system installation?
6) How much is budgeted for staff training to run the new system?
7) Will current IT staff levels support this new network? If not, how much new staff / resources are needed to support this new system?
8) Will there be staff reduction in other areas as the old POTS / PBX systems will be retired and maintenance will not be required for the old systems?
Thank you!
Megan
Tonight I received a reply from Danielle Bulduc. See below:
ReplyDeleteHi Megan:
Here are your questions answered below. I sent this to board on Wed. Jan. 13th, I am sorry you were not cc'd on this. I have also attached the additional information Sonja and I presented to the board tonight. Please let me know if we can provide additional information to you about the TIP projects.--Danielle
1) How much will the actual head-end equipment / router cost?
In my RFI, I did not ask for specific breakdown of equipment, but rather overall figures. I did receive a breakdown from 2 vendors, but they do not categorize the head-end equipment in one summary even in those responses. I also received one response which would leverage the phone system at the HS and therefore not include a new purchase of this equipment.
2) How much will the software license cost to run the system? Is there an annual fee associated with this that must be paid to the vendor?
This question was asked at the last meeting. I have asked the vendors who responded for information on this. I will provide this when I receive the info as a range. We have not chosen a final solution so this may vary.
3) How much are the new hand sets?
Depends on the system that is chosen.
4) How many hand-sets are we ordering?
We will replace as necessary in each school. As there may be adjustments to this figure, we do not have exact numbers. In my RFI, I estimated these numbers.
5) How much is budgeted for system installation?
Each RFI response included installation and configuration, but I did not request that this be broken out separately. We have not chosen a final solution, so this will vary depending on the final system chosen.
6) How much is budgeted for staff training to run the new system?
Knowledge transfer was part of the RFI for network/system administrators only. End users would be trained in staff meetings. The final system will be chosen partially on ease of use so that this is not a burden to the users.
7) Will current IT staff levels support this new network? If not, how much new staff / resources are needed to support this new system?
Yes.
8) Will there be staff reduction in other areas as the old POTS / PBX systems will be retired and maintenance will not be required for the old systems?
No.
Just another follow up...the district sent me the phone system RFI and document presented at the Board meeting. Still, I am concerned about this upgrade as a priority in light of current economic conditions and whether or not we have a true handle on the system's cost?
ReplyDeleteSo, in summary, the answer to your questions was...it depends. I am with you 100%, the district has no clue on the true cost of this system, how much it will cost to maintain or what it will take to train users. All this for a technology that will be obsolete before it's installed.
ReplyDeleteYou all expect miracles from the administration. Give them time and they will find the answers. The specific info that you request was not given in the RFI's so it obvoiusly takes some time, phone calls, emails, etc. to find it.
ReplyDeleteTHe high school currently uses this type of technology and as far as I have heard, there are very few problems with it. It is just like having a Comcast phone system. The savings won't be immediate (duh!) but the long term savings can be substantial.
I agree VoIP technology will save money over time. Nevertheless, clarity is lacking on what we are getting for $80K and what costs are still forthcoming. Expecting our District to research and gather information about true costs, PRIOR to presenting a proposal (TIP) to the voters does not seem unreasonable to me.
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteThe most reasonable post I've read on this site in a long time. THANK YOU!
I agree with you 100%.
Not even providing ball park numbers when requested is the problem we face, and why I will vote against this year's TIP. How can you ask for money yet not know how you are going to spend it or even that you asked for enough?
Sigh.
Thank you for a reasonable post that is not inflammatory and cuts straight to the issue.