Dell has been selected as a new strategic supplier for U-M’s computer hardware after an in-depth evaluation process by U-M Procurement Services and a cross-functional U-M team. The MiWorkspace service began to support a newly certified lineup of Dell hardware on January 18, when the contract went into effect.
Visit the MiWorkspace Recommended Windows Hardware page to view the new Dell hardware. The price on the Tech Shop website is the price to get the device immediately. A discounted price is available if you are ordering in advance.
A town hall was held January 15, 2021, for members of the MiWorkspace Advisory Group, unit approvers for MiWorkspace, and Platform-as-a-Service unit administrators. View the slide deck and a recordings of the presentation:
- Part 1: Contract terms, vendor expectations, ordering (00:12:18)
- Presenter: Reid Paxton, director of ITS End User Services and MiWorkspace service owner
- Part 2: Dell model lineup walkthrough (00:16:00)
- Presenter: Kristen Bolger, MiWorkspace Depot purchasing and inventory supervisor
If you are ordering on behalf of a unit subscribed to the full MiWorkspace service, use the MiWorkspace IT Hardware Purchase form to place your order. Neighborhood IT managers are available to consult on device purchasing decisions.
We will send information to PaaS unit administrators for use when ordering on M-Marketsite when it becomes available.
If you have additional questions, contact Reid Paxton, director of ITS End User Services and MiWorkspace service owner, at [email protected], or Kristen Bolger, MiWorkspace Depot purchasing and inventory supervisor, at [email protected].
Questions & Answers from the Hardware Town Hall
- Will the Dell contract replace the current HP contract?
- Yes. The HP contract ended when the Dell contract began.
- Will the pricing for the Dell models change after they are published? In past contracts with Dell, extra work with U-M Procurement was required to get the same promotional discounts on hardware for consumers when ordering from M-Marketsite. Could you describe the price life cycle?
- It will work the same way. It was one of the items that was considered during the RFP, and all of the vendors were comparable. Instead we focused on securing a better overall price. It is disappointing that we’re going to see the same price at the end of a model run as we did at the start, but the lower prices overall hopefully make up for that.
- Are we able to customize computers?
- The standard models were chosen to meet the needs for the majority of our faculty and staff. However, some individuals may need to make some customizations. Many models in the MiWorkspace hardware lineup have components, such as RAM, that can be upgraded. The MiWorkspace Depot can help you customize your order. Changes may affect the pricing.
- Will the ITS Tech Repair continue to do repairs on HP computers?
- Yes. The Tech Repair will continue to perform Warranty repairs for Apple (including iPad and iPhone), Dell, HP, Microsoft Surface, and devices covered by Safeware can usually be done at no cost to you. They will also perform out-of-warranty repairs on these and other major brands. See the Tech Repair page for more information.
- Could you include the weight of the laptops to the specs on the website?
- Yes. The weight has been added to the Tech Shop listing for laptops in the More Information Section.
- Could you include the generation of the processor on the specs on the website?
- Yes. This was added to the description of the models.
- Will the thunderbolt or USB-C enabled docks with HP branding work with the Dell laptops?
- Yes, we are confident that the technology is universal and will work with Dell hardware. In fact, some of these docking stations are Intel products with a HP casing over it. Dell docking stations will work with non-Dell devices; however, the charging capability may be reduced.
- Will the warranty be 4 years like the HP models?
- Yes. The 4 year warranty is built into the price.
- Are dongles needed for video inputs?
- No. There are two native display ports out and one VGA port for legacy displays.
- The Dell micro desktop is an i5. Was there an i7 option available in HP?
- We can order the i7 configuration. Our standard offered is at i5 because it is equitable to the standard desktop model, with the exception that it is a small form factor and has a HDMI output for better compatibility with televisions. We can purchase different configurations by quote.
- Will there be streamlined pricing for rack mountable servers from Dell?
- The RFP with Dell was essentially broken into two parts. One for computer hardware that ITS was involved in. Michigan Medicine engaged in the second part covering other IT equipment including servers. Once completed, we expect to learn more about availability on M-Marketsite.
- Will devices ship directly to customers or will we have an intermediary like Novastar was with HP?
- Dell will take care of the direct ship, and there is not an intermediary like NovaStar. The Depot will handle the process to ensure recipient info is received by Dell for units subscribed to MiWorkspace.
- Who can I talk to about pre-purchase information and quotes?
- Reach out to your Neighborhood IT manager.
- Is the Dell XPS or Alienware form factors included in the contract?
- They are not. We asked for XPS to be included, however Dell would not guarantee the pricing and consistent components. Dell considers both XPS and Alienware consumer devices.