Purdue trustees approve contracts, property transactions

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (June 16) approved several contracts and two property parcel exchanges.

The contracts include:

* An agreement with Cisco to provide infrastructure hardware, software and maintenance and infrastructure security hardware and software for the core campus computing network. The contract will run from July 1 through June 30, 2022. While the final cost remains to be negotiated, it is expected to be approximately $28 million. Gerry McCartney, Purdue’s chief information officer, said a significant portion of aging campus components will need to be replaced over the next five years. He said the university’s close relationship with Cisco makes it possible to make purchases over that five-year period at a significant discount and will provide needed updates to the network infrastructure (including wireless).

“We have been able to negotiate a significant discount for Cisco products until January 2019 and have been able to extend the discount to the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette, Tippecanoe School Corporation, Lafayette School Corporation, West Lafayette Schools, Purdue Research Foundation and the regional campuses,” said McCartney, who also holds the titles of vice president for information technology and Oesterle Professor of Information Technology. “It’s a tremendous relationship that provides savings to Purdue for scheduled hardware replacement and provides funding for enhanced IT security features.”

* A two-year renewal of an agreement with Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation (CityBus) to continue providing West Lafayette campus students, faculty and staff with unlimited, fare-free CityBus access. The contract covers the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years and is budgeted at $1.79 million per year. The university has saved $410,000 since fiscal year 2014, when the contracted service was $2.2 million per year.

* A one-year contract renewal with Elsevier BV for journal subscriptions. The $3.3 million cost will be paid from Purdue Libraries funds. Elsevier’s research and academic journals are used by faculty and students to conduct research and for academic and research-based articles.

* A three-year Microsoft license renewal agreement with reseller Software House International. The company will continue providing Microsoft licenses for the West Lafayette Northwest campuses and, beginning in July 2018, to modify license counts to include the Fort Wayne campus. The contract will cost approximately $1 million for 2017, with a total three-year estimated cost of $3.1 million.

* A two-year term to purchase excess workers' compensation coverage from Midwest Employers Casualty Co., effective July 1. The insurance protection covers claims of more than $850,000 per occurrence and has an annual premium of $300,644. The change will result in a savings of $440,000 annually.

Property parcel transactions include:

* The transfer of approximately 1.2 acres to the city of West Lafayette to enable the Williams Street extension, which is part of the State Street Redevelopment Project. The transfer was part of the State Street project development agreement with the city. Under the agreement, the university is eligible to be reimbursed the land’s approximate $3.85 million value from TIF 2 (231 Purdue TIF District) proceeds after other obligations have been satisfied.

* An exchange of parcels between the university and the Indiana District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Inc. The church recently purchased the Exponent building at 460 Northwestern Ave. and discovered there was a need to better align the ownership of four small parcels totaling about 2,100 square feet between the Exponent and Northwestern Avenue Parking Garage with the ownership of these adjacent properties. Purdue will quitclaim two parcels to the Lutheran Church, and the church will quitclaim two parcels to the university.