AAPS Briefed on Tech Bond Purchases

The Ann Arbor Public Schools board of education heard a first briefing on bid recommendations for district-wide network cabling and mechanical modifications to support the 2012 technology bond initiatives. The briefing took place at the board’s April 24, 2013 meeting.

After conducting post-bid interviews, the district’s professional team recommended awarding contracts to Fuller Heating Company for $80,669 for HVAC work, and to Complete Communications Inc. for $386,989 for network cabling. Both companies were the lowest qualified bidders for each job.

Randy Trent, AAPS executive director of physical properties, noted that the district is opting for CAT 6 in place of CAT 5 cabling. While more expensive, it will take longer to be obsolete, he said. The team also opted for adding a “student drop” because it was cheaper to do two at the same time rather than pursuing a second drop later.

Trent also noted that if trustees approve the bids, they will have approved about 26% of the entire technology bond budget. The board of education will be asked to approve the bids after a second briefing at its next regular meeting.

This brief was filed the day following the April 24, 2013 AAPS board meeting. A more detailed report of the meeting will follow: [link]