Henry Daily Herald

The Stockbridge City Council has authorized a contract with Total Technology Group, to provide information technology services. The agreement, approved Monday, calls for the city to pay a flat-rate fee of $5,966 per month, said Stockbridge City Administrator Ray Gibson.

The contract will be in effect for three months and will automatically renew for a period of one year, until either party provides the other with a written notice of termination 30 calendar days prior to the end of the agreement, Gibson said.

The city administrator said Total Technology Group has worked with Stockbridge for more than 10 years, and has never been approached to enter into a contract. The company, however, has suggested a contract to Stockbridge staffers on a number of occasions.

“As a result, they were billing on an hourly basis, which was not cost-effective for the city,” Gibson said. He said “communication issues” arose, within the last two years with Total Technology Group, regarding the city’s information-technology infrastructure. As a result, Stockbridge issued a request for proposals (RFPs) for companies providing those services.

“After thoroughly reviewing the RFPs, we chose to remain with [Total Technology Group],” said Gibson.

“The city will be moving forward, either by the end of 2011, or the beginning of 2012, to purchase new financial software, and Total Tech’s expertise in transitioning to the new software was one reason the firm was chosen to be the city’s vendor.”

Gibson described Total Technology Group as a “good fit” for the city. He said a new contract will allow for a more effective and efficient service.

Stuart Bowen is a partner in the technology company, which maintains an office in Buford, Ga. Bowen said he is “very happy” to have been retained by the city. “Henry County is important to us,” Bowen said. “We also do the City of McDonough’s work.”

He said that the contract with Stockbridge allows his company to be proactive, and not reactive, in addressing the city’s technology needs.

“It defines our scope of work, and enables us to respond more quickly to problems without having to go through a chain of command,” said Bowen.

In other action at Monday’s meeting, the City Council approved a contract with Greystone Grading, Inc., for a sewer replacement project on Rock Quarry Road, and an amendment to the Stockbridge budget to set aside $5,000 for Veterans Day activities, scheduled for next month.