Computers & corporate IS dep't. question

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

This thread, spawn of the Who buys these $1500-2000 computers thread, probably belongs in MPSIMS, because I doubt there’ll be a definitive answer. But that’s what I’d like to see.

Scenario:

I’ve been given a healthy budget to purchase a geophysical workstation for a job that I don’t start for a month yet. My new employer has never employed one of occupation before, although I’ve been consulting for them for several years (on my own equipment and licenses). I’m not a computer tech guy, but I’ve never had any problem getting my own systems to do what I want (perhaps I should rephrase that as, “I’ve never been unable to eventually get my own systems to produce at least some semblance of what I needed.”)

So, this is my first interaction with a large company’s IS department, and I’ve apparently been granted a large helping of carte blanc, as they’re not arguing with me (did a lttle bit about NT) about some hefty purchases. Since I’m the only one in a large outfit who does what I do, I, well, I just don’t know…

Anyway that’s not the question. We’re purchasing a system where, for the moment, I can have anything I want. Dell’s bid (a company for with whom they already have an account) is ~$15,000 for a system that another specialized outfit is bidding for over $3,000 less. My about-to-be-former-independent instincts say, “Let’s talk to these guys!” But my new partners in the IS dep’t. are very shakey (and, I understand it all easily) about dealing with a small vendor of whom they’ve never had acquaintance.

We’re going to do a point-by-point comparison of the systems tommorrow, and I suspect the little guys are going to pop up as the best apparent deal (9 year old company owned by a geoscientist out of California).

So, what would you do in a new job where they’re, for the moment (I think we’re in the honeymoon phase) apparently willing to go with what I ask for: Go for the $3000 savings (a bit less to get pilloried for later on) or stick with IBM, er, excuse me, Dell?

2

This is a very valid concern. As i mentioned before (if you did read the other post) you will most likely get much superior support from Dell. Use common sense here though… Suppose i said to you i’d sell you a ferrari for $10. Well, this should at least be cause for raising an eyebrow. HOW can i sell it that cheap? This is known as looking a gift horse in the mouth, and it’s not always such a bad thing to do. :slight_smile: That’s what you should ask them, what’s the difference between thier computer and Dell? How can they offer it so much cheaper? What kind of support do they offer? What about the warranty? Are the parts refurbished? Don’t act so shocked, any replacement parts you get from most companys are refurbs, and some of these little computer shops use refurbs in the new computers. Now i am not saying that it is the goal of smaller computer dealers to screw everyone over, far from it, just make sure of what you are getting. Hope this helps some! :slight_smile:

Where Are We Going And Why Am I In This Handbasket?

3

A few thoughts here:

  • Why only two bidders? I’ve never put anything to bid to less than three.

  • Can you be sure that the small company can remain solvent so that they’ll be there to back up and support their product? Did you ask for company history and financial data on the smaller company?

  • Will you be considering a hardware or software maintenance agreement post-warranty?If so, the expense dollars cost of these agreements must be considered as operating costs and compared. As mentioned already, spare parts availability and shipping timeframes (where are the parts hubs located?) must be considered, especially if up-time is crucial. You might want to take a look at the MTBF (mean time between failure) averages for each vendors hardware and also the vendors MTTR (mean time to repair) averages.

  • Take a look at the ability to upgrade each system. What are the limitations? Can future upgrade pricing projections be provided?

  • Did each vendor provide a customer list of other customers in your industry? Did you contact them?

  • Does Corporate IS have a VPA (volume purchase agreement) with Dell? If your company might have other needs that Dell might be able to fill, step back and take a big-picture view. You guys might be able to negotiate a VPA that would give your company a discount based upon your projected spending with them for the year. This could lower the cost of the system that you need and narrow the difference in costs between the two bidders.

Krispy Original - I survived the SDMB outage

4

Here’s my take on this.

I am in the same boat, kinda.

My client is in the process of purchasing a new server in addition, this will require basically 24/7 support of what I can’t accomplish myself (aka for a full fledged engineer).

We are looking at $23,000 or more to get this set up. (hardware and software)

Me, an HP or a Dell just isn’t going to cut it, for the same components and better service without spending the extra for advertising I am getting a great value.

The computer company I work with as a consultant has a list of successful clients like a major school district in Denver metro area etc. Course I am a consultant, but I have worked with these people since 97 and have had very good luck with them, so on a personal note, this is something my client looks to.

What you need to do is approach it from not so much as a cost standpoint, but from a point of service after the sale kind of thing. If you are comfortable with this company, and your employer is counting on you to make the decision then well you have it in the bag. My only thing is, make it well known (in an indirect way) to the computer company that your lively hood depends on this decision.

It is a rare occurance that I go into computer places that I frequent and they don’t treat me like their long lost friend…

Probably not much help, but maybe will give you some strength in what you do.

5

Seems like you can work through that, take your chances. I need to get a new $200 000 instrument, and it’ll take quite a lot of signatures to get it. Yet the same bosses spend millions on contracts that often don’t lead to a product. But they don’t see our purchase contributing to new products, it’s just an R & D tool and we still have a dinosaur that runs. It does not involve day to day production, so apparently we can wait, forever.
My intuition is that you should spend as much as you can, get all the extras you need, they won’t be as willing 3 years from now.

6

Good thoughts, Krispy and techchick. In fact, I’m going to structure my responses this morning around thoughts along those lines.

Exactly what I’m thinking, sunbear. Get what I can on the honeymoon cruise.

7

What you need is a Computer Consultant. Try the phone book, worth the money.