7/7/2021
LINCOLN – The town of Lincoln has compensated additional than $160,000 for information know-how solutions because 2018, even with there getting no bid or deal for the do the job.
Denise Potvin remaining her posture as Lincoln’s IT director in the spring of 2018, when she established her corporation Target IT. The corporation was integrated in June of 2018, with the business handle mentioned as Potvin’s home address.
Quickly after, in the summer of 2018, Target IT began billing the town for contracted IT solutions at a level of $100 for each hour. When her successor remaining the IT director purpose in the fall of 2019, her corporation was introduced on as an outside the house seller offering a lot more comprehensive IT expert services to the city.
In March of this year, 1 week prior to he departed for the governor’s place of work, previous City Administrator Joseph Almond raised the topic of IT with the Price range Board. At the time, he stated it was “more of an administrative decision” to provide Potvin back again on board as a contractor when her successor still left a vacancy in the IT director placement.
When the town lost its IT man or woman, Almond said Potvin “came again as a contractor when we explored placing the company out to bid or employing a new staff … then COVID came.”
He claimed Potvin spends various evenings each individual week functioning Zoom conferences for various town boards and commissions. Under the emergency ordinances issued as a end result of the pandemic, he reported they selected to go forward with Concentration IT.
Almond also claimed that most of the expenses will be recouped via federal COVID-19 aid cash.
“We can’t do it at this amount for good, because it would violate our paying for procedures,” he stated, adding that “a large amount of the work” will be submitted for reimbursement, and that the IT line merchandise “is going to be fully out of whack until finally anything gets settled.”
Members of the Spending budget Board questioned Potvin at the March assembly about her scope of function and contract, as well as the roles she splits with the town’s other element-time IT contractor.
Potvin claimed when the previous IT director remaining, she returned to fill that job, and that the charge of her providers was “pretty significantly similar” to what was earlier invested on IT salaries and benefits. She claimed she wasn’t confident how substantially the other contractor will make.
She added that she did a study demonstrating the price savings the town could achieve by contracting out its IT solutions.
Following the March assembly, resident Abigail Altabef submitted a general public information request for Emphasis IT invoices. Town solicitor Tony Desisto’s legislation workplace answered Altabef’s request on Might 18.
The invoices, shared with The Breeze by Altabef display that Target IT billed $3,077 concerning July and December 2018, and $19,945 the following year.
In 2020, the town paid the enterprise more than $103,756. So significantly in the 2021 calendar year, Lincoln has compensated much more than $41,000 for contracted IT products and services.
Dollars expended right before the pandemic commenced in March of 2020 will not qualify for federal assist, in accordance to officers.
In reaction to DeSisto’s business office, Altabef famous that the town’s IT price range incorporates an IT director salary of all-around $70,000. The section also budgets for maintenance and assist, components and software, net support and other IT expenses, ensuing in a division spending plan of $215,000 to $260,000 each year.
In crafting to the DeSisto Law Organization, Altabef explained, “The city of Lincoln seems to be having to pay Aim IT upwards of $9,000 to $12,000 a thirty day period for support, etcetera., at the price of $100 an hour,” adding, “This is more than 3 instances the charge she would be paid ended up her wage to be compensated out at an hourly price.”
Her reaction and the paperwork ended up shared with the Office environment of the Legal professional Basic.
Subsequent Altabef’s general public records ask for, the June Lincoln City Council agenda included a dialogue and vote to go out to bid for the IT director posture, a few a long time soon after Aim IT opened and commenced contracting for the city.
Officers are now on the lookout to use a complete-time IT director, or to ship the contract out to bid.
Councilor Ken Pichette reported at a June conference that he spoke to Potvin, who is his sister, and that “she stated she did a cost research analysis” demonstrating that the town would help save revenue by contracting out its IT providers. Pichette stated he’d like to see a copy of that examine “to fully grasp the very best scenario going ahead.”
The resolution authorized by the council the pursuing night is as follows:
“Whereas, the town of Lincoln had a emptiness in the position of information and facts know-how (IT) manager that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
Whilst, for the duration of the pandemic, the city had to use an exterior contractor to fulfill its IT requirements, which include digital meetings of the council, board, commissions and all community conferences, safety, vaccinations, coordination of are living stream and interactive meetings and helping officials and board members chairs with their abilities to utilize platforms and update tools, just to title a couple
While, most of the costs connected with this posture will be reimbursed to the town by COVID minimize funds
And whilst, the city is continue to in need of an IT supervisor or company to ensure that our town is able to meet up with its technological desires
The City Council respectfully requests that the performing town administrator and the city staff director situation an RFP for this position, acknowledge apps, complete interviews, and fill the situation as soon as they are equipped to.”
A resource within just Town Corridor who spoke on condition of anonymity disputed several of the claims established forth in the resolution.
For starters, they explained Potvin’s firm was hired before the pandemic commenced, so statements that Concentrate IT was introduced on board due to the pandemic are incorrect. They reported the expense of the providers just can’t be fully reimbursed with COVID-19 aid cash for that identical reason.
And they took situation with Aim IT doing the job with no bid and no deal to set up a scope of operate. There were enough chances to seek the services of a new IT director, the source explained, introducing that advertisements and requests for proposals for the position ended up geared up, but never despatched out.