County gets computer deal through consortium

Kane County technology officials expect to save more than $11,000 by purchasing computers through a multi-state government consortium.

The county's information technologies department plans to purchase 300 computers and components for $230,000 through a deal brokered by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, a consortium of local governments, school districts and universities.

Member states pay dues to the Minneapolis-based group, which offers discount prices on computing hardware, software and telecommunications products and services by buying in bulk and negotiating deals directly with manufacturers. There are four such consortiums, divided geographically, in the United States.

The per-computer price negotiated by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact for the 300 Dell CPUs is $38 less per unit than the county was quoted by Hewlett Packard through the state's joint purchasing program, said Roger Fahnestock, the county's IT director.

"We're trying to get the best price," Fahnestock told the county board's administration committee Thursday.

Illinois, one of 11 states in the Midwest consortium, has saved $34,514 since joining in 1991.

The county board already has approved allocating the purchases as part of the IT department's computer replacement program.