IBM leaves legislative rival at the gate

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- IBM has won the contract if the Legislature decides to buy new laptop computers.

Lorne Malkiewich, director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said Monday that Gateway, chosen initially by a legislative subcommittee to supply the 100 new laptops, failed to meet the requirements. So the contract goes to second-place finisher, IBM.

Malkiewich said he intends to talk to both Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, to see if they want to go forward with the purchase.

Raggio and Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, were sharply critical of the proposed purchase of the new equipment. Raggio said Senators read newspapers, played solitaire and e-mailed each other during committee hearings.

Malkiewich said the games could be taken off the new computers and rules could be adopted to stop the lawmakers from using them for nonlegislative business.

The Legislative Information Technology Subcommittee voted earlier this month to select Gateway at a quoted price of $1,325 each plus buying 200 adapters to place throughout the Legislature at $35-40 to hook the units into.

The award of the bid was based on Gateway providing an upgraded wireless network. The deadline for Gateway to respond was last Wednesday. Malkiewich said Gateway responded but it didn't meet the specifications required.

The contract now goes to IBM at the quoted price of $1,540. No adapters would be needed since IBM adapters are already in place.

Lawmakers have been using IBM laptops for four years.

Malkiewich said even if the Legislature doesn't buy new computers, there will be additional costs for maintenance, new licensing for wireless and other items.

The IBM T42 model has a durable cover made of titanium and magnesium. It could be dropped without harming it. It has a motion sensor that if it fell off a table the hard drive would be shut down. It has a security system that reads fingerprints to allow the owner to get into the computer.