Report Prepared by: Jeff Bennyhoff, Director of Information Technology
Title
SUBJECT: Agreement for Professional Services with THOR, Inc. for AS/400 Programming Services
REPORT IN BRIEF
Authorizing a Professional Services Agreement with THOR, Inc. for $165,000 for AS/400 programming services to support SunGard financial application suite.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion approving Professional Services Agreement with THOR, Inc.; and, authorizing the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve as recommended by Staff; or
2. Deny; or,
3. Refer to Staff for further evaluation.
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided for in the 2015-16 Adopted Budget.
DISCUSSION
The Information Technology Department had two staff members recently retire. These two employees supported the City's SunGard software suite. This software suite runs on technology created in the late 1960s, called RPG, which requires a very unique skillset. Currently the department has no one with these skills in-house. All recruitment efforts have failed to find an applicant with these unique skills.
The SunGard software suite has run many of the City's critical business operations, including payroll, utility billing, GMBA, business licenses, building permits, and more, for over the past 25 years. The retired staff members modified the existing programs provided by SunGard to fit the needs of the departments over that period of time.
Although the SunGard system is dated, it is still a highly functional system. A modern day technology replacement to the SunGard system that would provide all the same functionality for departments would cost approximately $750,000. As the professional community of people that support this type of older technology is currently experiencing mass gentrification, it will become increasingly important to start the process to move to mod...
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