Oklahoma partners with Texas for IT purchasing
States can now access one another's IT contracts
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Red River deal will save
Oklahoma and Texas millions of dollars in technology purchases through an
agreement brokered between the two state governments’ information technology providers.
The agreement puts each state on
the other state’s preferred technology provider list, which allows both states
access to one another’s technology contracts and services.
“Oklahoma and Texas are longtime
rivals, but we’re proud to be on the same team when it comes to saving taxpayer
dollars through innovative initiatives like this,” said Oklahoma Secretary of
Finance, Administration and Information Technology Preston L. Doerflinger. “This
deal drives down technology costs while simultaneously increasing technology
options for agencies. Government can innovate when it tries and we salute our Texas
colleagues for helping us prove that through this deal.”
Oklahoma saves money, lessens
its workload and speeds up procurement when working with Texas to purchase
information technology products and services, said Matt Singleton, chief
operations and accountability officer for the Information Services Division of the
Office of Management and Enterprise Services, the technology provider for
Oklahoma state agencies and affiliates.
Texas has already negotiated several
contracts with technology vendors, and since Texas orders in greater bulk than
Oklahoma, the price is less per unit, Singleton said. It’s similar to a shopper
saving money by buying macaroni in bulk from a warehouse as opposed to a box at
a time from a supermarket. Furthermore, since
all contracts and services have already been procured under each state’s
competitive purchasing processes and laws, administrative work and product
delivery time is reduced.
“Right off the bat we’re getting
a better deal out of this,” Singleton said. “Each state has done all this work,
and we’re each going to take advantage of it.”
The deal has already paid off
for Oklahoma, which recently used an existing Texas contract to lease 10,000
desktop and laptop computers from Dell for $2.2 million a year
for four years. The arrangement includes an option to renew services and
replace computers.
“This acquisition ensures that
every four years, employees get a brand spanking new computer on their desk. It
also makes it easier for agencies to budget for and spend less on technology by
keeping costs fixed and predictable,” Singleton said, adding that Oklahoma
saved money because of the amount of business Texas already does with Dell. “Oklahoma
got a much better deal than we could on our own because Texas spends more with
Dell alone than Oklahoma spends on all of our IT each year.”
Using the Texas contract for the
Dell acquisition saved Oklahoma more than $3.1 million and a lot of time,
Singleton said.
Texas also benefits from the Red
River deal because cooperative purchasing drives down cost and increases vendor
diversity for both states.
“Our partnership with Oklahoma
shows the power of collaboration in technology purchasing, and we appreciate
this opportunity for innovation with our neighbor to the north,” said Texas
Chief Information Officer Karen Robinson, executive director for the Texas
Department of Information Resources.
The Red River deal went into
effect in July as a yearlong pilot program.
“It is already demonstrating
success and we’re confident it will be renewed,” said interim Oklahoma Chief
Information Officer Bo Reese. “Partnering with Texas helps OMES, in our role as
Oklahoma’s unified technology provider, greatly enhance our ability to provide
partner agencies with better technology options at competitive costs.”
Media Contact
JOHN ESTUS
Director of Public Affairs
(405) 521-3097 | john.estus@omes.ok.gov
About the Office of Management and Enterprise Services
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services provides financial, property, purchasing, human resources and information technology services to all state agencies, and assists the Governor’s Office on budgetary policy matters. Our mission: To lead, support, and serve. For more information, visit OMES.OK.gov.
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