OU delays print-machine centralization plan after discussing departments' uneven usage
9/8/2010 3:16:00 AM Email this article • Print this article
Rebecca McKinsey • Staff Writer • rm279109@ohio.edu
Ohio University stalled a plan to centralize its printers, scanners and fax machines that could have saved the university $400,000 this year.
The campuswide centralization of OU's copy, printing and fax machines was one of the school's latest money- and energy-saving ventures. The plan required OU to replace the various machines with centralized devices from one supplier, some of which perform multiple functions - such as copying, e-mailing, faxing, printing and scanning.
OU planned to charge departments the same amount for use of the new machines but put the plan on hold after Laura Nowicki, director of procurement services, and others involved decided the shared cost method could unevenly burden departments that didn't use the machines as frequently.
"The information garnered ... strongly suggested that the need for this approach had changed, as the features inherent with the print server approach would not necessarily be universal across the university, yet the cost for such an approach would be borne by all of the users, even if they did not need the functionality provided," Nowicki said. "The new (request for proposals) addresses an approach that allows for increased functionality for those that need it but not overkill for those who do not."
OU planned to replace the machines over a 5-year period to accommodate the end of various lease agreements with the current equipment providers. The centralization would have saved the university about $400,000 in the first year and more in the subsequent years, Nowicki said in an e-mail.
Nowicki said OU expects to outline a new plan by mid- to late-September.
OU's current printing and copy machines accumulate costs for leasing and ownership fees, monthly minimums, service calls and maintenance agreements. Under the new system, no lease or ownership fees would be assessed; rather, OU's payments to the contractor would cover toner, service and maintenance, but OU must pay for paper, staples and power separately, Nowicki said.
The university took bids from six companies, naming ComDoc, Modern Office Methods and Xerox as finalists. OU tested machines in early June, with plans to announce a finalist in mid-June and introduce the first machines in August.
Although the centralization has been put on hold, the initial stages of planning still spurred action in some departments, Nowicki said. Some are delaying their lease purchase orders for the upcoming fiscal year to allow for an easier transition once a centralization vendor is chosen. Others are reducing their desktop printer use and using "multi-function devices" already owned by the university - a change that produces instant savings, she added.
Cleveland State University is undergoing a similar process; about 80 percent of its old machines have been replaced so far, said Shehadeh Abdelkarim, CSU's director of mechanical and electrical operations. When the job is done, some 3,000 machines - many of which are small personal printers - will have been swapped for 350 or 400 multitasking devices.
With CSU's new machines, the cost of printing a black-and-white sheet will be reduced from 3.42 cents to 2.32 cents, and charges for color printing will drop from 29 cents a page to 7.7 cents, Abdelkarim said.
"When you consider that we print about 3 million pages per month - and that's a conservative estimate - the significance of the cost savings is evident," he said.
The only hitch he anticipates for those using the new machines is slight inconvenience.
"Most people are happy with having a printer right on top of their desk, and a scanner and color device right next to it, and a fax machine behind it," Abdelkarim said. "The tools in reach make people happy. They don't want to walk 30 feet from their desk to grab their documents."
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