AgriLife TechBuy Centralize Purchasing Program Detail
Our Goals
- Reduce overall costs related to computer purchases (purchasing paperwork, setup time, delivery costs)
- Increase and maintain data security
- Increase productivity, expedite research and outreach through timely delivery and improved hardware support/replacement
- Full lifetime management of agency computer assets
- Decreased downtime through centralized computer management technology
Requirements
As of April 2020, all AgriLife computer purchases are to flow through the AgriLife IT TechBuy web site.
This includes:
- All workstations (Mac and PC)
- All Servers
AgriLife IT will provide annual computer asset reports to agency CFO’s and department heads to promote 4 to 5 year replacement schedule planning for computer assets.
Benefits
- Fast Delivery Statewide (within 3-4 business days for most locations)
- Meets all required State, TAMUS, AgriLife IT Policies
- Reduced Costs for computer hardware (average $100 to $300 depending on selected device)
- Ready for use upon receipt (Office 365, all software updates, etc.)
- Extended 5yr warranty on desktops, laptops, and workstations
- Business Class Computer Systems
- AIT Staff are HP certified and trained to expedite warranty repairs
- Better overall support, repair, and turn-around times
- Vetted solutions and compatibility testing between all products offered in TechBuy
- Less paperwork for your department business staff
- Consultative buying process with AgriLife IT system engineers
- Centralized “spares” program maintained by AIT to replace damaged systems on repair
Custom Orders
For system configurations not currently offered within TechBuy, or system configurations with low purchase volume, custom orders may be placed. All server and Mac workstation orders will be custom orders given the relatively low quantity and special configuration needs these devices provide.
FAQs
Please view our full Terms and Conditions here - TechBuy Terms and Conditions
Some of the many reasons we currently work with one vendor are:
- With a single brand/vendor being used we can order larger quantities and obtain much larger discounts than if we split orders out amongst many brands.
- It simplifies the warranty process (which is a sizeable operation) by having to work with only one vendor. Meaning we process warranty repairs quicker for our end customers.
- Our staff are HP Technician certified so we can provide warranty work here on-site vs. shipping back to the vendor and quickly expedite turnaround of the device repair (and if not, we have a spare set of systems that can be provided for short term use so that employees are not out of commission)
- One vendor simplifies the training and support level of our IT staff across the agencies. Not having to know the 100’s of unique details about many vendor products expedites our abilities to solve support cases where there are issues between computers and their peripherals much quicker. For example, if we fix a problem with a scanner and a HP model for one person, we have resolved that potential issue for hundreds of users as well.
- We pre-test all the systems with all the other peripherals for up to several weeks before we put them out for sale. Thus, you can be assured anything you buy is compatible.
Currently Mac systems make up 3% of the total population of computers in the AgriLife agencies. Additionally, Mac systems are on average 2.5 to 3 times more expensive than a comparable PC alternative.
Thus, our ability to justify pre-buying in bulk for per unit cost savings is not equitable, requiring requests for Macs to be one-off custom orders.
However, ordering a Mac system through the TechBuy store will greatly reduce the time and the paperwork required to obtain it. We work with a re-seller located in College Station which services the entire University. They have ample stock on hand and can expedite orders to our TechBuy staff quickly so we can setup your system and have it ready for you within a limited amount of time.
In the past year as TechBuy has grown we have expanded with many new accessories, cables, software, and monitor varieties. We are constantly monitoring the needs of our customers and adding as we see a trend of product needs that would benefit large quantities of employees. Recently added items include projectors, barcode scanners, 500 GB SSDs, wireless headsets, scanners, wireless printers, and a host of other common devices used within employee offices. These devices are all tested for compatibility with the computers we offer and allow us to support employees faster and more knowledgeably if devices like scanners and printers are ordered through TechBuy.
The TechBuy staff are seasoned IT professionals with many years of computer configuration and maintenance expertise. We offer a consultative approach to working with you and evaluating your specific business needs to obtain the best configuration option at the least possible cost. Our relationship with vendors and resellers allows us to expedite the process of obtaining quotes for your configuration needs, reducing the workload for you and your business staff and expediting the setup and delivery of your new system, ultimately saving you time and money.
The TechBuy purchasing program is not meant to deter the research mission, but is geared towards assuring researchers have the best engineering expertise behind their goals and needs. AgriLife IT’s engineering staff have over 200 years combined computer engineering expertise fostered by years in private sector and research engineering teams in many highly computer intensive environments.
Thus, if there are needs that exceed our expertise and knowledgebase our program offers an exception process that formally allows researchers to design and procure their systems. Ultimately this allows AgriLife IT to advise and consult, and assure state required compliancy and security requirements are met on any new system deployed on TAMUS computer networks.