The Tazewell County Board recently approved a new five-year contract for copier services, opting for a Springfield-based provider over an incumbent local firm. The decision followed a contentious public debate regarding whether to prioritize supporting local business interests or selecting equipment that county officials described as a higher-quality product for the institution.### Key takeaways
- The board voted 11-6 to approve the contract with Watts Copy Systems.
- Watts submitted a bid of approximately $323,000, underselling the local competitor by about $16,000.
- The new contract covers 56 copiers responsible for nearly 3 million annual impressions.
- Equipment transition and installation are expected to be completed within 30 to 45 days.
The debate over local procurement
The selection process for the county’s fleet of 56 copiers highlighted a common tension between economic localism and administrative efficiency. While board member Greg Menold championed NCI Business Systems of Morton—the county’s provider for the past five years—others argued that the duty of the board was to support the recommendations of staff. County Administrator Mindy Darcy clarified that the county was satisfied with the outgoing vendor, but ultimately sought a "step up in quality" offered by the new Kyocera equipment. Proponents of the move, such as board member Max Schneider, criticized the local-interest argument as "Monday morning quarterbacking," suggesting that board members should trust staff expertise rather than attempting to manage operational procurement.
Scope and implementation
The contract encompasses the heavy lifting of administrative paper management for the county, including high-volume needs in the courthouse, the law library, and the state’s attorney’s offices. The scale of the operation is significant, with roughly 2.7 million black-and-white copies produced annually. According to the board’s approval terms, the new vendor will handle the removal and recycling of the legacy equipment at no cost to the county. Installation is planned to occur within a two-week window following the initial 30-to-45-day lead time for contract processing. While some older machines will be retained as backups, the majority of the county’s fleet will be replaced with the updated hardware provided by Watts, which already maintains local contracts with educational districts in the region.
