The Ocala City Council will review the purchase of nearly $500,000 worth of laptops, desktops, tablets, and monitors to replace devices that are over five years old and cannot be upgraded to Windows 11.
The purchase of the approximately $492,200 of citywide information technology equipment will be discussed during the council’s upcoming meeting on Tuesday, October 7, at 4 p.m.
According to a city staff report, the purchases are supposed to enhance the “overall efficiency and security of the IT infrastructure, enabling departmental staff to work efficiently both remotely and in the office, citywide.”
The purchases would apply to multiple city departments. They would include various models of laptops, desktops, tablets, and monitors to replace models that are over five years old and cannot be upgraded to Windows 11.
According to an itemized list, 57 laptops and 28 desktops for a total of $131,900 would be purchased for the Ocala Police Department. For the physical security department, the city will purchase 50 replacement cameras, 33 new cameras, two badge readers, and 3 Fusus cores.
Additionally, the city would purchase 14 in-vehicle tablets, and eight protocols applications for $72,000, according to the equipment list.
The staff report states that proactively replacing devices will deliver “reliability and added security” and enable the city to work “efficiently both remotely and in the office, citywide.”
To facilitate the best rates available for the equipment, the city is taking advantage of a cooperative purchasing agreement through the Florida Department of Management Services Alternate Contract Source Agreement for computer equipment.
The Ocala City Council next meets on Tuesday, October 7, at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).