True about Computer direct access. We bought 15 Mac Pros from them including an Xserve AND a maintainance contract. and for 4 months they couldn't configure the file permissions errors or set up retrospect properly.
I agree that big IT vendors aren't equipped or trained for corporate level IT requirements, but you could always go for freelance or hire temp staff having proper apple certifications for such needs. I would keep an eye out for any leads, but i am sure many here would be interested. Please keep us posted.