Board approves purchase of 1,500 Chromebooks for $475,470 through cooperative contract

The Southside Independent School District Board of Trustees voted May 28 to approve the purchase of 1,500 Chromebooks and accessories through CDW using the AEPA cooperative contract (AEPA-022-G) for $475,470.

The district said the purchase will be paid with grant funds. Purchasing officer presentation materials described an informal procurement that solicited proposals from seven cooperative vendors; an evaluation committee scored responses and recommended CDW as the highest-ranked and lowest-cost vendor.

Board members asked about device lifecycle and reuse. Trustee Silver asked whether older devices could be repurposed instead of replaced. Technology staff said the district maintains spare components to repair some devices and surpluses truly obsolete machines to an authorized surplus vendor that wipes devices and returns a small resale amount. The technology team said it is beginning a five-year rotation plan to replace devices purchased in 2020.

A motion to approve the purchase was made by Trustee Salazar, seconded by Trustee Farias, and carried by voice vote. The meeting transcript records unanimous affirmative responses from trustees present.