The TAD board of directors voted to authorize Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt to negotiate and enter into a contract with a vendor during the July 22 meeting held in Arlington. CAMA software keeps track of all properties in Tarrant County to help determine a value “equally and uniformly,” according to Bobbitt.
How we got here
Bobbitt said the request for proposals had 1,042 criteria for vendors to meet to bid.
The county currently has a contract with Aumentum Technologies for CAMA usage to handle the number of appraisals in the county. Bobbitt said TAD looked at the issues and failures the district has faced with this program.
Bobbitt said an estimate by TAD shows the district is spending $1.5 million in staff time to keep that program running when issues arise.
“We wanted to try to reduce the likelihood of repeating the past,” he said.
A closer look
Board member Alan Blaylock said the review of the vendors featured TAD staff, fellow TAD board members Matt Bryant and Gary Losoda and ex-officio member George Dodson.
The three finalists are True Prodigy, GSA and Esri, and all had different prices based on a five-year contract, according to Bobbitt.
True Prodigy had a price of $14.7 million; GSA's price was $8.5 million and Esri's was $7.7 million.
“There is some sticker shock about the amount that one of the companies has quoted,” Bryant said. “Please do a deep dive on the pricing. At the end of the day, we may need to choose the most economical offering. We want to restore the public's trust and making a wise decision on this purchase should go a long way with the taxpayers.”
What else
Bryant and board member Rich DeOtte urged a deeper dive into the companies. DeOtte mentioned that there have been at least four different owners of the Aumentum CAMA in his tenure on the board.
Bryant echoed those concerns. He said his research shows that two of the three finalists have developed software programs or companies in the past before selling them.
“How will we manage the likely disruption associated with new ownership?” Bryant said. “Trust me, if they've been down the aisle, once before ... they'll do it again. Not if, but when.”
What’s next
Bobbitt and staff will talk with the three finalists and he said there could be a recommendation at the Aug. 9 board meeting.
