Luzerne County Government

April 23, 2010

County reviews clocking systems

The time clock selection has been complicated by an unsuccessful bidder’s claim.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

Luzerne County Commissioners Thomas Cooney and Stephen A. Urban said they are reviewing the top three proposals for a county time clock system, with the goal of making a decision at the May 12 meeting.

The two commissioners tabled a vote to buy a system from Chelmsford, Mass.-based Kronos Inc. on April 14, saying they wanted to do more research. Their hesitation stemmed largely from unsuccessful bidder Ray Hillman’s assertion during the meeting that his locally based business offered a better price.

But county Chief Clerk/Manager Doug Pape divulged during that meeting that Hillman’s company, Luzerne-based Hillman Time Systems Inc., was ruled out because Hillman told him he had helped to prepare the county’s request for proposals and “did it in such a way that would make it that Kronos Inc. and ADP (Automatic Data Processing Inc.) wouldn’t be able to respond.”

Pape said Hillman "didn’t do a good enough job" excluding other responders because the county received four other proposals, including ones from ADP and Kronos, which became the finalists.

Cooney and Urban said Thursday that they will review the original request for proposals and match it to the proposals submitted by Kronos, ADP and Hillman.

Kronos would be paid an estimated $410,160 to implement the system and a $45,140 annual maintenance fee.

Hillman said he would charge $295,000 and a $25,000 annual maintenance fee.

ADP’s offer is unknown because county officials say proposals aren’t public record until a contract is awarded.

“We have to determine where we go from here with the contract. Do we write up a new RFP and send it out? Is there enough information in existing proposals to do a more thorough evaluation and make an award?” Urban said.

A county manager was also instructed Thursday to contact other counties that have these systems to obtain feedback, Urban said.

Cooney said he also wants to discuss the finalists with the team of county managers who recommended Kronos.

Urban said a time system is needed, and he senses that some people don’t realize that it will do more than spit out reports on the times each worker clocks in and out. The system will be used to generate payroll, which means employees must comply to get paid, he said.

Specifications on work hours, vacation/sick/personal leave, shift differentials and overtime will be fed into the system.

Policing is difficult without a computerized system because the county has 11 different union contracts, a personnel policy governing most non-union workers and special memorandum agreements with some supervisors in three departments, Urban said.

If the time system shows an employee did not clock in on a particular day, the manager of that department will be required to specify whether a sick, vacation, personal or bereavement day was used, Urban said. The system will flag attempts to record a leave day if an employee has already used the allotted number, he said.

The system will only allow workers to carry over the permissible number of sick and vacation days at the end of the year, he said.

“The system will automatically delete excess days so workers won’t be able to keep those days on the books for years and years,” he said.

The system will also block attempts to pay overtime if an employee has not logged the required work hours, he said.

While commissioners control the time and payroll system, they currently have no means to guarantee that employees in row offices the court branches are putting in required hours, Urban said. That will change with the new system because employees won’t be paid if they fail to log in and out using a Biometric pad that reads their fingerprints or palms, he said.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.

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