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AOMINISTRATIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

E-LEARNING

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

ONLINE EDUCATION
& SKILLS COURSES

Need to brush up on Microsoft Word skills or wish to become a
spreadsheet jockey?

The IT Department is partnering with an online training
organization to provide training for any employee interested in
furthering their background in MS Office, Adobe, and Google
products, just to name a few. Business classes are also available.
Courses are broken up into hour long segments for ease of use.
These can be done from the comfort of your home and at your
pace since they are on the web — 100% online,

Contact the HelpDesk for more information or to get signed up!

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MEET THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM

The Technical Support Team consists of three full time staff
members and are the initial point of contact for all computer and
technical/system related requests. Dan, Nate and Adam provide
technical support, strategic planning and implementations for 35
citywide locations. Need assistance? Email tech support directly at
helpdesk@nashuanh.gov to create a HelpDesk incident. Do NOT
email IT staff members directly for initial requests, we assign

incidents to available staff. Call 603-589-3320 for critical issues only.

ITEMS OF INTEREST:
Successfully Moved/Setup: e Upgraded MS Office Suite on over
« MVR 100 PCs for Exchange Migration
« Tax/Wastewater « Upgraded Microsoft OS to Windows
« City Clerk 10 on over 100 PCs
e CS/Public Health e Upgraded and replaced 5 MFP Units
e Legal Department (Printers) for better performance
« Assessing Department and lower costs

VOL 11 Q1

TECH TIP

Getting to Know Search — Tips & Tricks

USING PUNCTUATION IN SEARCH
Search engines have gotten so good at
guessing what we want, quotation
marks aren't as necessary as they used
to be. But they can still be helpful. By
default, if you search for several words.
most search engines will show results
where both or all of the words are found.
if you include quotes or parenthesis. you
can help define and narrow down what
you want to find.

Example:
"Board of Aldermen Special Meeting”

will find that exact phrase, where
searching without the quotes would lead
to several pages talking about all words
including Aldermen, Board, Special, and
Meeting (not in any order and not the
entire exact phrase).

Example:
Aldermen AND °2017°

(including the quotes) - This search
tells the search engine (Google) that you
are really interested in 2017, the results
are forced to include 2017. Quotes are
usually used to join words as a single
search phrase, but individually quoted
words can tell search that word is
required.

Now, we can wrap paired words with
parenthesis while still requiring an exact
phrase match.

Example:

(“Energy Committee” OR "Environment
Committee”) ("Electric Aggregation”
“Community Power")

This will find pages containing either the
phrase “Energy Committee” or the
phrase “Environment Committee” and
also the words Electric Aggregation or
Community Power.

BROADCAST
COVERAGE OF

NASHUA EVENTS
AND SHOWS

GOVERNMENT TELEVISION - NASHUA GTV

With 2020 being a year that will “live in infamy" for all
of us, 2021 has presented its own challenges as we
have emerged from the initial pandemic. As last year
saw the Government Channel host all of the Board of
Aldermen's Committee plus bimonthly full meetings via
Zoom, this year’s challenge has been to create a hybrid
version where both in person and Zoom elements are
incorporated together. We have successfully built this
capability in to the Aldermanic Chamber, auditorium,
and have added never before hybrid coverage for
events in Room 208.

In the near future, we will be involved with the new
Public Works facility as it is built and in need of
technological guidance in their conference area.

EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION - NASHUA ETV

Nashua ETV —- "Where Education Hits Home in Nashua”
is the City of Nashua’s Education Channel. We not only
work with the Nashua School District to provide Live
Board of Education meeting coverage, but with other
educational institutions in the Gate City to provide local
content for our channel. These include the Nashua
Library, Nashua Historical Society, as well as our local
community college and university. This Fall, we will be
offering a select number of Nashua North, Nashua
South, and Bishop Guertin Varsity sporting events live
from Stellos Stadium. We can be found on
Comcast/Xfinity Channel 99 or in High Definition via
links on the City’s website. We also offer OTT (Over the
Top) channels to viewers with ROKU or Apple TV; just

search for and download the Nashua Community TV app
from either service and start watching from the comfort

of your living room in full High Definition.

PUBLIC TELEVISION - ACCESS NASHUA

Comcast Channel 96, Access Nashua, Js the City of Nashua’‘s
Public Access Channel and is in its 10th year of operation. We
have many of our regular producers still creating shows and
currently have a list of 3-4 people in the queue for starting their
own show. You can go online and check out our programs by
visiting our website at accessnashug.ora. Click on the link in
the center of the home page titled "Video On Demand" and
scroll down to check out some of the programs we have
produced in the last 10 years. If you have an interest or point
of view you would like to share with Nashua, Access Nashua
remains available to not only city residents, but those who work
in Nashua.

Our professional staff will help you produce your own program.
E-mail AccessNashua@gmail.com or call 603-589-3141,

Nashua CTV
Live Streams

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER VOLT Qi

UPCOMING WEBINARS

The Admin Services team has joined with our EAP provider to offer these seminars to
assist employees in being successful at work and at home. Register for the dates below!

A GUIDE FOR MANAGERS ¥s !
Keeping your team focused and motivated is a full-
time job in itself, but conflict within your team can

\
\ / make your job impossible. In this seminar, you'll
> Oo explore how to reach resolutions agreeable to all
parties involved and focus your team on moving
YN

forward.

Wednesdav. October 6th from 8-9 AM EST
NDEAPING WITH Le :
CHALLENGING PEOPLE Tuesday, October 12th from 8-9 AM EST

There are different ways to define a “difficult person.”
Some people test the lives of many others. Then
there are those who “push your buttons.” Whichever it
is, you have two choices: learn how to effectively deal
with the difficult person, or remove the chance of

interacting with them. Learn strategies you can use
when you have to deal with difficult people.
MANAGEMENT Wednesday, October 13th from 8-9 AM EST

Change is stressful, and learning how to manage and

cope with change is crucial to our well-being in this
O ever-changing world. Although the stress of change
is unavoidable, you can learn how to deal effectively
Gp with it at work and home. In this seminar, you'll learn
effective ways to cope with change in addition to
learning how to take charge of the aspects that can
be controlled.

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Savory Living is a 12-session online healthy eating
lifestyle program that runs on your schedule,
personalized to help you achieve your goals.

With the help of your own private coach, these anti-
inflammatory nutrition and cooking classes guide
you step-by-step to get your eating working right for
YOU! Get the time-saving eating, cooking, and
flavoring skills and turn it into a lifestyle you love!

Easy Meals
1-2-3

Oct. Ist } 12 PM

Eat to reduce inflammation while improving your

mood, increasing your energy, and losing weight! No registration required.
Join here!
SIGNS OF INFLAMMATION INCLUDE:
e Extra weight e Food sensitivities
* Headaches * High cholesterol

¢ Digestive issues »* High blood pressure
« Joint pain e Diabetes

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER VOL1{ Ql!

14 COURT ST.
RENOVATIONS

DRE ALAR

FIRE ALARM PANEL RISK MANAGEMENT

ADVANCEMENTS THE SAFETY ZONE

it's that time of year again! Parents and children across the country
are preparing to go back to school, and as part of our commitment
to overall safety, we'd would like to offer these simple safety tips:

« Beon the lookout for school zone signals and ALWAYS obey
the speed limits.

FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM e When entering a school zone, be sure to slow down and obey

UPDATES all traffic laws.

¢ Always stop for school busses that are loading or unloading
children

e Watch out for school crossing guards and obey their signals.

¢ Be aware of and watch out for children near schools, bus stops,
sidewalks, in the streets, in schoal parking lots, etc.

¢ Never pass other vehicles while driving in a school zone.

« Never change lanes while driving in a school zone.

¢ Avoid using a cell phone while driving in a school zone.

NEW ENERGY EFFICIENT
LED LIGHTING

NEW ROOFING (SEPT. 2021)

GOT A FRIEND?

The City of Nashua has job
openings, and we are looking for
good people like our current
employees to join our team!

Share with your friends the
benefits of working for the City.
We have a great benefits package
including paid time off, health and
dental insurance coverage, paid
holidays, retirement plans --

just to name a few!

Our jobs are posted at:

http-//applitrack vom/nashua/saril:

neapp/.

FROM THE DESK

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Assessor Il

Assessing Administrative Specialist Il/CSR (2 positions)
Legislative Transcription Specialist

Vital Records Clerk II

Custodian |

Firefighter/EMT (4 positions)

Enterprise DBA/System Analyst

Probationary Dispatcher - NPD (2 positions)

Messenger Mail Distribution Clerk

Transit Utility Service Worker

Wastewater Assistant, (2nd Shift)

Equipment Operater, Landfill

Truck Driver (2 positions)

Public Health Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
Assistant Construction Engineer

Probationary Communications Tech - NPD (3 positions)
Public Health Nurses (Per Diem)

Parking Enforcement Specialist (Part-Time)

OF A GRANT WRITER

Pamela Davies, our shared City and School District Grant Writer,
has submitted a number of proposals this year in search of funding
for programs ranging from local arts to infrastructure upgrades.
This month, Nashua has been selected for the $100,000 Johns
Hopkins Cities of Service Love Your Block 2021 grant, which will
fund a two year fellowship, AmeriCorps members, and a minigrant
program for the Tree Streets neighborhood!

Ws
Won!

cities «
CS SERVICE
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ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER VOLTI Qi

PURCHASING

NEWS FROM THE PRINT SHOP

The print shop is working to improve lead times, and the
best way we can achieve this is through planning.

We are hoping you can help us in the following ways:

© We have recently updated the print shop email from
“copy&print requests” to printshop@nashuanh.gov.
Please email all requests to this address.

¢ Please refrain from any verbal or “drop off” requests
in the print shop. This creates an inability to manage
the workflow efficiently.

e Please submit all requests with an electronic
printable (pdf preferred} version of the requested
document.

* Significant delays in print shop production are
caused when receiving requests with missing details
Please find a new print request form on the
Purchasing page in the Employee Portal. This will
help ensure we produce your request correctly and
timely.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

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ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER VoOL11qQ1

REMINDERS &
ANNOUNCEMENTS

FLU SHOT CLINIC - OCTOBER 15TH

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_- ‘The City will be hosting
alal the annual flu shot clinic
and mini wellness event
on October 15th.

Additional details will be communicated soon.

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UPCOMING HOLIDAYS
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Oct. 11
Veterans’ Day Nov. 11
Thanksgiving Day Nov. 25 & 26
Christmas Day (observed) Dec. 24

ANTHEM HSA UPDATE

Heaith savings accounts are now with
Anthem. For members who opted Into the
bulk transfer, funds from Benefit Wallet
should now be available in Anthem
accounts.

DIRECT DEPOSIT

On vacation? Out sick? With direct
deposit, pay will be deposited into your
account at your bank of choice. If you
haven't already taken advantage of this
great program, start today by stopping by
our office or contacting us at
payroliMB@nashuanh.gov.

GO PAPERLESS!

Want to help the environment and save a
tree? Go PAPERLESS and recelve your
payroll statement via email or view it on
Employee Self Service. Set up is easy and
it reduces our paper use! Contact the
Payroll Office at
payrollMB@nashuanh.gov and they will
do the rest.

QUEST LABS

Quest Labs is an in-network lab for
Anthem members. To find a convenient
location and make an appointment, head
to QuestDlannostics.com/appointment.

Proposed Purchasing Ordinance Updates

§ 5-70Duties.

{7\)_Vendors' catalog file. Prepare, adopt and maintain a vendors’ catalog file. The cataloe file shall be
filed according to materials and shall contain descriptions of vendors' commodities, prices and

discounts:

Proposed Change:
Removal of requirement for a vendor catalog file

Proposed change is requested to update to current practices. Catalogs, pricing, specifications and other
materials are generally found available on the internet or requested from suppliers as part of a bid.
General catalogs are no ionger readily provided.

§ 5-76 Purchases less than $5,000.

Where the total price of a purchase is less than $5,000 it shall be the responsibility of the Purchasing
Manager or Divisional Director, after adequate inquiry, to make the purchase on the basis of price and
quality.

Proposed Change:
Inclusion of Divisional Director as an additional responsible party

Proposed change ts requested to align with current practices

§ 5-77Purchases ($5,000 to $25,000}.

Where the total price is greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000 purchase shall be made on the basis
of evaluation of written price or rate quotations from an adequate number *Add* of suppliers. Such
price and rate quotations shall be forwarded on suppliers’ letterhead. A copy of the written bid
specification from the requesting department must accompany the requisition for purchase and the
quotation package. The Purchasing Manager shall have the authority to award contracts based on
information received or to reject the requisition and require a public bidding process.

Proposed Change:
1. Correct threshold of $25K to align with the proposed change in 5-78
2. Added language to above: “a minimum of 3, where feasible”

Proposed change is requested to more clearly define “adequate” to a best business practice number of 3
quotes

5-78Purchases ater than $25,000).
A. Allsupplies and contractual services, except as otherwise provided herein, when the estimated cost
thereof shall exceed $10,000 shall be purchased by formal, written contract from the lowest responsible
bidder, after due notice inviting bids. All sales of personal property which has become obsolete or
unusable, when the estimated value shall exceed $5,000, shall be sold by formal written contract to the
highest responsible bidder, after due notice inviting bids. [Amended 5-8-2007 by Ord. No. 0-07-85]

12/6/21 *where not mandated by state or federal requirements

Proposed Purchasing Ordinance Updates

Proposed Changes:
Increase threshold from $10,000 to $25,000

Proposing to increase the threshold for requirement of competitive bidding from $10K to 525K to align
with the threshold for Finance approval. For reference of comparison, the following are some other

municipal thresholds:
Concord $50K
Worcester MA S50K
Salem MA S35K
Manchester $25K
Exeter S25K
Salem NH $20K
Merrimack $10K
Londonderry $10K

The estimated maximum impact is:

PO’s between | % of Total # of
10K-25K PO's
2019 83 3.46%
2020 98 4.33%
2021 126 5.47%
3-year avg 102.3 4.42%

Note: many of these PO's are for items that would not qualify for competitive bidding in any case (ex.
software maintenance, purchases using municipal/state contract pricing, etc}

8. Notice inviting bids shall be posted in two appropriate places, one of which shall be on the City’s
Internet website or by publication in at least one official newspaper in the City and at least five days
preceding the last day set for the receipt of bids. The website or newspaper notice required herein shall
include a general description of the articles to be purchased or sold. The Manager shall also advertise all
pending purchases or sales by a notice posted on the public bulletin board in the City Hall.

[Amended 10-9-2012 by Ord. No. 0-12-022]

Proposed Change:
Change the requirement to publish bid invitations in newspapers. Update to include an online

publication/website.*

Proposing to utilize online publications where applicable in lieu of a printed newspaper for publishing bid
invitations. This would include oniine construction project tracking websites, online newspapers, and
professional organization websites to name a few. This would increase visibility with a greater
population now utilizing the internet for news than traditional printed newspapers.

This would not apply in instances where a newspaper notice is required to meet State or Federal
requirements.

BD. Sealed bids shall be submitted to the Manager and shall be identified as bids on the envelope. Bids
shall be opened in public at the same time and place stated in the public notices. A tabulation of all bids
received shall be available for public inspection. [Amended 10-9-2012 by Ord. No. O-12-022]

12/6/21 “where not mandated by state or federal requirements