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?