LOWELL — A contract providing copier service throughout the Lowell Public School District was finalized during Wednesday night’s School Committee meeting.
Following negotiations, which began on Aug. 14, the school district decided to change vendors, switching from Ricoh USA Inc. to Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Inc. In the process the school district will experience significant savings, Superintendent of Schools Joel Boyd said.
“It’s a significant win for the school district and significant cost savings for the district,” Boyd said after Wednesday night’s School Committee meeting.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions will provide a five-year lease, service and toner agreement for copier machines throughout the school district and central office building at a cost of $1,000,778.90. Year one of the contract composes a cost of roughly $112,000.
Ricoh USA contract included the potential for a one-year lease service agreement for copier machine services throughout the school district and central office building at a cost of $260,000.
The announcement of the finalized contract comes one night after Lowell city councilors expressed concern about a lack of a finalized copier contract within the school district roughly a month into the school year.
“The problem that we spoke about earlier, the contract, printers, the lack of communication between the school and the city is clearly highlighting a need to do more talking and combining both HR and finance together so that we have really talked to each other more properly … Four, five months ago, same thing,” said Councilor Vesna Nuon during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. “So I think this is something we really need to work toward: to combine it and to have more dialogue between the school and the city.”
Nuon’s statement came a few minutes after councilors discussed the copier contracts and in response to a report regarding the feasibility of combining the city and schools’ human resource and finance departments.
Boyd stressed a contract negotiation is a process that takes time, particularly when involving a new vendor. He added, “we are confident in the direction we are heading.”