Plano's information technology department wants an outside look at how it chooses, manages and staffs the software city departments rely on, and it wants more time to swap out the city's computers.
Both requests are on the City Council's consent agenda for Monday, Nov. 9.
A roadmap for city applications
The first would pay Raftelis Financial Consultants an estimated $165,000 for a 20-week review focused on the Applications and Project Management groups in the Technology Solutions Department.
According to a memo from Chief Information Officer Roger Wright, the work would come in two phases. The first evaluates how technology decisions are governed, using staff interviews and document review. The second assesses the city's application portfolio, how recent projects performed and how the department is staffed. The consultant would deliver a current-state report and an applications roadmap with recommended improvements.
The memo says the goal is a setup that keeps citywide security and architecture standards while giving departments clearer ownership of their own business applications, with Technology Solutions acting more as an adviser. Wright wrote that the review should help set project priorities and reduce the city's dependence on aging systems and on the know-how of individual employees.
More time on the computer lease
The second item extends the city's current computer equipment lease with Dell for six months, at up to $73,230 a month, for a total of no more than $439,380 from the Technology Replacement Fund. The memo says monthly costs will fall as older equipment is returned.
