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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda - 02-14-2000 - 9aORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: February 14, 2000 Action Agenda Item No. _ ~]- ~ SUBJECT: Contract for IS Support Center Staffing with Alternative Resources Corporation DEPARTMENT: Information Systems PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/1~ No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Contract with Alternative Resources Corp. Dick Taylor, extension 2276 TELEPHONE NUMBERS: Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 965-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 33Cr227-2031 PURPOSE: To consider approval of a contract with Alternative Resources Corporation for Information Systems (IS) Support Center Phone Staffing BACKGROUND: O~ectives of this Dutsource Contract IS proposes to continue to improve the responsiveness of IS Support services by acquiring outsource contract staffing for: • resolution of user requests for soflwaze and hardware problem-solving assistance, for both internal and remote users; • entry and tracking requests received using the IS Support Center database system; • maintenance of the countywide technology assets database; • development of Intranet-based user guides and software tips The contract is proposed through November 2000 to allow an assessment of the outcomes of this outsourcing arrangement. Orange County's Information Technology Committee, at its December meeting, reviewed the approach to this IS Support help desk outsourcing and supports it. The advantage of this contract support is that full IS Support Center coverage can be assured, continuity of operations can be sustained, and superior, regulazly available technical expertise will be available to callers. Resources freed by this outsourcing can be applied to improved customer support and ongoing, more effective implementation of IT Plan initiatives. Vendor election Possible vendors were assessed from among a selection of larger organizations with substantial background in providing IS support services. These organizations offer the most flexibility and allow for adaptation of their services should needs change. National studies by rating organizations in the IT industry were also reviewed. Staff and IT Committee members consulted could not identify any Orange County firms providing on site help desk support services. The proposed vendor, Alternative Resources Corporation (ARC), is a nationally recognized provider of such services, has a local office in Cary, NC, and was rated highest in a nationwide study of help desk support providers. The contract services are at a reasonable hourly rate of $29, for a total contract cost not to exceed $38,976. Current IS Sunnort_O,perations The IS Support Center is a problem resolution service provided by the IS Department for assistance to internal and remote users with computer and network questions and problems. The IS Support Center is reached by those requiring assistance at a single County phone extension or via a single a-mail address. Since late 1996, when the IS Support Center was created, over 4,000 calls have been handled. The IS Support line has been staffed by temporary employees and to a lesser extent by regular IS staff members as backup. Current IS Support staff consists of three full-time positions, and one temporary staff position at 30 hours per week, to provide daily operations and user support for the County mainfi-ame, 400 user PCs, 160 printers, nine network servers, Internet and Intranet technology platforms and all a-mail services. These staff resources also support the planning and most of the installation work related to the IT Plan. The support staffing of the Orange County IS Department can be compared with other support operations, using a standard measure common in the computer industry. This measure is the number of PCs and. printers divided by the number of dedicated support staff. For Orange County this ratio is 320, with current staffing resources. Other organizations reporting recently provide a comparison as shown in the table below. Organization PC/Printers Supported Per Staff Position Oran a Coun 320 Cha el Hill-Carrboro Ci Schools 429 Wake Coun MIS 250 Oran a Coun Schools 235 LTNC Cha el Hill Administrative Com utin 62 This IS Support outsource contract would improve this performance ratio from 320 to 230, resulting in better, more responsive resolution of user calls for assistance. Bene ats o this IS Su rt ontract - sts O set and ustomer ervice Combining all available work hours of current IS staff resources shows 430 hours of work required beyond the hours available. To supplement this staff, a contractor has been used in the past to assist with IT Plan PC and printer installation, amounting to 208 hours at $75 per hour, a total of $15,600. The contract proposed here for IS Support phone services will free up full time and temporary staff resources, at a much lower hourly rate than the installation contractor rate, and make it unnecessary to use these annual installation contract resources, at a savings of $15,600. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The FY 1999-2000 budget includes operating funds to cover the cast of this contract, which will lead to $15,600 in cost avoidance by eliminating the need to continue contracting for additional outside installation support. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Soard approve this contract and authorize the Chair to sign it. 4 Contract for IS Support Phone Services Between Alternative Resources Corporation And Orange County This agreement made the 14th day of February, 2000 between Orange County for its Information Systems Department (hereinafter referred to as OCIS) and Alternative Resources Corporation (hereinafter referred to as ARC) for IS Support phone services as specified herein. ARC Responsibilities: 1. ARC will provide IS Support phone services to Orange County. ARC will provide a specific individual to work on-site at OCIS, at the IS Support Center office. These services include those specified in Attachment 1. 2. ARC will submit an invoice for services after the end of each calendar week of services provided. The invoice for services will specify the number of aggregate hours spent on Orange County IS Support phone services. OCIS Responsibilities: 1. OCIS will provide office facilities, telephone and PC equipment for the IS Support phone ARC staff assigned to OCIS. 2. OCIS requixes IS Support phone services during regular working hours for County offices, from S am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, excepting holidays. 3. OCIS will, within ten days of receipt of invoice from ARC, effect payment for services by ARC. Term: The term of this agreement shall be from February 14, 2000 through November 30, 2000. Compensation: Compensation to ARC will be at an hourly rate of $29 per hour, not to exceed $3$,976 through November 30, 2000. Termination: 5 Either party for any reason may terminate this agreement with 15 days written notice. Notice: Any communication regarding this agreement shall be made to the parties as stated below: For County: Richard J. Taylor, Director Orange County Information Systems PO Box 8181 Hillsborough NC 27278 For ARC: John McAuley ARC 3340 Glen Royal Rd. Raleigh NC 27612 For County: For ARC: Moses Carey Jr. Chair Board of County Co*nm»sioners Orange County Name Title 6 Attachment 1 OCIS Requirements for IS Support Phone Center Tasks/Responsibilities 1) IS Support Problem Resolution Services a) Receive problem resolution requests from users between Sam and 5pm weekdays, except holidays b) Accept a-mail submission of support requests c) Answer support requests through phone assistance and callback when possible 2) IS Support Call Database Management a) Enter requests as they are received in OCIS CaIlTracker database b) Produce reports for daily assignment and review of call status c) Track request to completion d) Provide weekly/monthly status and tracking analysis reports e) Track request and support assistance to remote users f) Update and maintain IT inventory database tables for PCs, printers and network equipment 3) IS Support Hardware/Software and Supplies Ordering a) Receive order requests from IS staff b) Contact vendors for blanket purchase orders, and state contract vendors, use Web sites to determine best pricing, ordering information c) Provide information to IS Director for approval and purchasing d) Handle shipping and receiving 4) IS User and Support Team Assistance a) Participate in IS Support review meetings b) Make contact with support vendors as needed to arrange and track service calls c) Develop Intranet Web page resources to assist users in problem resolution and to provide access to application usage tips, including links to useful Web sites Skills Required Excellent communications skills Enough knowledge and ability to acquire knowledge to resolve problems during initial contact with callers • Ability to work in a small team environment and act as the central coordinating point for IS Support activities Knowledge of Software and Systems Required • Windows 95/98 • Office 97 Pro, especially Word and Excel • Netscape Communicator and Web Usage in General • Novell Groupwise E-mail • Novell Netware 4.11 Intranetware or Netware 5 • Basic PC Hardware Troubleshooting (Gateway and Dell PCs) • Basic HP Printer Troubleshooting (Network and Local Printers)